Reading Harry and Rose Potter
by sarah is mybestfriend
Summary: Harry and his twin sister Rose face their worst nightmares when the story of their lives are read out. Eventual Harry/Ginny, Hermione/Ron, Rose/Neville. ON HOLD.
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or its characters but i do own Rose.**

* * *

Harry and Rose Potter was sat in 'Professor' Dolores Jane Umbridge's office during detention. If it could be called detention, Rose keeps arguing that it should be called 'torture'. At the moment the twins were writing '_I Must Not Tell Lies'_, with what Rose discovered was called 'Blood Quills'. She also found out that they where illegal.

"_Remind me why we aren't reporting her.' _Rose asked through their telepathic link.

_'We're not going to go to Dumbledore for help when Dumbledore had not spoken to us once since June. And we both know that Umbridge has more power over McGonagall then McGonagall has over Umbridge.'_ Harry replied. Rose sighed and stopped writing to give Harry a look that clearly said 'you-believe-what-your-saying-no-more-than-I-do'.

The pausing of the quills on paper alerted Umbridge of them stopping.

"Ah," she said softly, moving around her desk to examine Harry's then Rose's hand, both of them dripping blood. "Good. That ought to serve as a reminder to you two, oughtn't it? You may leave for tonight. Straight to your separate common rooms please"

"Do we still have to come back tomorrow?" asked Rose picking up her school bag with her left hand rather than her hurting right one.

"Oh yes," said Professor Umbridge, smiling as widely as before. "Yes, I think we can etch the message a little deeper with another evening's work."

Harry had never before considered the possibility that there might be another teacher in the world he hated more than Snape, but as he walked away from Umbridge's office with Rose he had to admit he had found a strong contender. She's evil, he thought, as he climbed down the DADA tower staircase to the seventh floor, she's an evil, twisted, mad old-

"Ron?" Rose called out,

They had reached the top of the stairs, turned right and almost walked into Ron, who was lurking behind a statue of Lachlan the Lanky, clutching his broomstick. He gave a great leap of surprise when he saw the twins and attempted to hide his new Cleansweep Eleven behind his back.

"What are you doing?"

"Er - nothing. What are you doing?"

Rose frowned at him.

"Come on, you can tell us! What are you hiding here for?"

"I'm - I'm hiding from Fred and George, if you must know," said Ron. "They just went past with a bunch of first-years; I bet they're testing stuff on them again. I mean, they can't do it in the common room now, can they, not with Hermione there."

He was talking in a very fast, feverish way.

"But what have you got your broom for; you haven't been flying, have you?" Harry asked.

"I - well - well, okay, I'll tell you, but don't laugh, all right?" Ron said defensively, turning redder with every second. "I - I thought I'd try out for Gryffindor Keeper now I've got a decent broom. There. Go on. Laugh."

"We're not laughing," said Rose,smiling at him. Ron blinked. "It's a brilliant idea! It'd be really cool if you got on the team! I've never seen you play Keeper, are you good? I'll be able to play against you during games."

"I'm not bad," said Ron, who looked immensely relieved at the twins' reaction. "Charlie, Fred and George always made me Keep for them when they were training during the holidays."

"So you've been practising tonight?"

"Every evening since Tuesday… just on my own, though. I've been trying to bewitch Quaffles to fly at me, but it hasn't been easy and I don't know how much use it'll be." Ron looked nervous and anxious. "Fred and George are going to laugh themselves stupid when I turn up for the try-outs. They haven't stopped taking the mickey out of me since I got made a prefect."

"I wish I was going to be there," said Harry bitterly. As they reached more staircases Rose turned to them.

"I'm off to bed, night Ron, Harry." Rose said leaning up to give her brother a kiss in the cheek, who kissed hers back

"Night Rose." they said, as they set off together towards the common room, Rose in the other direction.

"I wish you were coming try outs- Harry, what's that on the back of your hand?"

Harry, who had just scratched his nose with his free right hand, tried to hide it, but had as much success as Ron with his Cleansweep.

"It's just a cut - it's nothing - it's -"

But Ron had grabbed Harry's forearm and pulled the back of Harry's hand up level with his eyes. There was a pause, during which he stared at the words carved into the skin, then, looking sick, he released Harry.

"I thought you said she was just giving you lines?"

Harry hesitated, but after all, Ron had been honest with him, so he told Ron the truth about the hours he and Rose had been spending in Umbridge's office.

"The old hag!" Ron said in a revolted whisper as they came to a halt in front of the Fat Lady, who was dozing peacefully with her head against her frame. "She's sick! Go to McGonagall, say something!"

"No," said Harry at once. "I'm not giving her the satisfaction of knowing she's got to me."

"Got to you? You can't let her get away with this!"

"I don't know how much power McGonagall's got over her," said Harry.

"Dumbledore, then, tell Dumbledore!"

"No," said Harry flatly.

"Why not?"

"He's got enough on his mind," said Harry.

"Well, I reckon you should -" Ron began, but he was interrupted by the Fat Lady, who had been watching them sleepily and now burst out, "Are you going to give me the password or will I have to stay awake all night waiting for you to finish your conversation?"

* * *

Meanwhile back in her office, Umbridge was plotting some way to reveal the Potter brats lies. She was in the middle of plotting more 'tongue loosening ways' when a bright golden light over took her office. When the office faded there was a stack of books on her desk, not ordinary books but books about the Potter brats. An evil grin formed on her face as she rushed to her fireplace to floo to the ministry. The Minister would love this.

* * *

The next morning the whole school was seated at breakfast. Rose was sat next to Mandy, Lisa at the Ravenclaw talking about the Ravenclaw try-outs this Sunday. Rose was the youngest ever to make the Ravenclaw team, nothing, not even Umbridge, could stop her from making it this year. Over at the Gryffindor table Hermione, Ron and Harry were talking about DADA classes. When an annoying cough interrupted them.

"Ahem, If I may. The Minister has seen fit to postpone classes for a little bit. He will be arriving shortly and he himself will explain why." Umbridge said before sitting down again making everyone look over at her confused as to why the Minister of Magic was coming to Hogwarts. Apart from Dumbledore who had received a letter from the Minister last night informing him of the visit and its cause. He had taken the fact the Minister said he was bringing some guests as a sign he told to and invited some friends of the twins along. If all went to plan they would arrive not long after the Minister told them what he was going to do.

Slowly the hall filled with chatter. Rose turned to Mandy "Why do think he's coming here?" she asked him. Mandy could only shrug. Rose turned around just as Harry and they shared a look. Clearly they were both as confused as each other.

A few minutes later the doors to the great hall opened and in strode the Minister, Amelia Bones and Percy Weasley. The younger Weasleys and the Potter twins scowled when they saw him. The Minister walked to the front of the hall and turned to the face the students,

"Many of you must be wondering why I'm here. Well a one of my workers found 7 very interesting books. I thought we should read them together, considering they are about 2 students in here." That had Rose and Harry paling. "They're called Harry and Rose Potter and The Philosopher's Stone; The Chamber of Secrets; The Prisoner of Azkaban ; The Goblet of Fire; The Order of the Phoenix; The Half-Blood Prince and The Deathly Hallows. We shall be reading them together." he finished looking at Harry before moving his gaze to Rose. Both of the Potter twins opened their mouths to argue when the great halls doors opened again and in walked Remus Lupin, Tonks, Mrs Weasley, Mr Weasley, Charlie Weasley, Bill Weasley, Fleur _Delacour_,Victor Krum and a big black dog.

"I thought it only fair that Mr and Miss Potter have family around them while they read." Dumbledore said as the Weasley, Remus, Tonks, and the big black dog moved over to the Gryffindor table whilst Victor and Fleur moved over to the Ravenclaw table. Once they arriver Rose stood and hugged them. The scene was almost similar over at the Gryffindor table except Harry was hugging more people. Excusing her self from Victor, Fleur and 'her girls' Rose walked over to the Gryffindor table,

"No hug for me Remmy. I'm hurt." she said mock crying.

Remus just laughed and pulled his god-daughter a hug. All ways the dramatic, she got that from James.

"Nice to see you cub." he said as he pulled away, right before a high pitched "Ahem" went through the room.

"Lets start shall we?" Umbridge asked.


	2. Children-Who-Lived

******The Children-Who-Lived**" she read,

Rose slammed her head on the table as Harry groaned and put his head in his hands,

"Why?" they asked. Snuffles put his head on Harry's lap.

******Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much.**

"Well you're-"

"Welcome" Fred and George said.

******They were the last people you'd expect to be involved in anything strange or mysterious, because they just didn't hold with such nonsense.**

"Nonsense?" Remus asked raising an eyebrow,

"Magic, imagination, creative writing. Things he can't control most." Rose answered, back at the Ravenclaw table with the rest of the Silver Trio, Fleur and Victor, while Remus sat at the Gryffindor table with the Golden Trio and Snuffles.

******Mr. Dursley was the director of a firm called Grunnings, which made drills. He was a big, beefy man with hardly any neck, although he did have a very large moustache.**

"Sound gorgeous, your going to have to introduce us Rose." Lisa joked

"The minute I introduce you you'll be running away screaming. No joke." Rose told her.

******Mrs. Dursley was thin and blonde and had nearly twice the usual amount of neck, which came in very useful as she spent so much of her time craning over garden fences, spying on the neighbours.**

"Delightful." commented Tonks sarcastically.

******The Dursleys had a small son called Dudley and in their opinion there was no finer boy anywhere.**

"I bet I could find 7." Mr. Weasley said looking at his boys -minus Percy- And Harry and Neville. Making the latter two blush and look down.

******The Dursleys had everything they wanted, but they also had a secret, and their greatest fear was that somebody would discover it. They didn't think they could bear it if anyone found out about the Potters**.

"What's wrong with the Potters?" Remus, The Weasleys -minus Percy-, Fleur, Victor, Hermione, Mandy and Lisa asked.

The Potter twins couldn't help but be touched that they all cared about them.

******Mrs. Potter was Mrs. Dursley's sister, but they hadn't met for several years; in fact, Mrs. Dursley pretended she didn't have a sister, because her sister and her good-for-nothing husband were as unDursleyish as it was possible to be.**

"UnDursleyish isn't a word." Hermione said scandalised.

******The Dursleys shuddered to think what the neighbours would say if the Potters arrived in the street.**

"Probably who are they visiting-"

"Can't be that whale and giraffe surely." Fred and George said mockingly trying to get laughs. They weren't disappointed.

******The Dursleys knew that the Potters had a small son, too, but they had never even seen him. This boy was another good reason for keeping the Potters away; they didn't want Dudley mixing with a child like that.**

"A well behaved boy, surely you would want him around your son." Mrs Weasley said.

"Yer but we're Magical aren't we?" Rose said.

******When Mr. and Mrs. Dursley woke up on the dull, gray Tuesday our story starts, there was nothing about the cloudy sky outside to suggest that strange and mysterious things would soon be happening all over the country. Mr. Dursley hummed as he picked out his most boring tie for work, and Mrs. Dursley gossiped away happily as she wrestled a screaming Dudley into his high chair.**

"Sounds like a horrible child." McGonagall said, sending Dumbledore a glance.

******None of them noticed a large, tawny owl flutter past the window.**

"Unobservant much." Malfoy commented.

******At half past eight, Mr. Dursley picked up his briefcase, pecked Mrs. Dursley on the cheek, and tried to kiss Dudley good-bye but missed, because Dudley was now having a tantrum and throwing his cereal at the walls.**

"Horrible child." Flitwick told McGonagall.

"******Little tyke," chortled Mr. Dursley**

"He's encouraging him." Mrs Weasley said in disbelieve.

******as he left the house. He got into his car and backed out of number four's drive.**

******It was on the corner of the street that he noticed the first sign of something peculiar — a cat reading a map.**

Rose and Harry looked over at McGonagall.

"That wouldn't have been you would it Minnie." Harry asked

"Mr. Potter do not call me that."

******For a second, Mr. Dursley didn't realize what he had seen — then he jerked his head around to look again. There was a tabby cat standing on the corner of Privet Drive, but there wasn't a map in sight. What could he have been thinking of?**

"You mean he can think." Mandy and Ron gasped. Then turned to look at each other shrugging.

******It must have been a trick of the light. Mr. Dursley blinked and stared at the cat. It stared back. As Mr. Dursley drove around the corner and up the road, he watched the cat in his mirror. It was now reading the sign that said Privet Drive — no, **_****__**looking **_******at the sign; cats couldn't read maps or signs.**

"Lo and behold we-"

"Have found McGonagall's weakness."

"Misters Weasley" McGonagall shouted

"It wasn't us!" Fred said defensively.

"Then who …"

"It obvious isn't it? Harry and Rose." Hermione said rolling her eyes.

"In that case. Mr Potter. Miss Potter" McGonagall mended.

******Mr. Dursley gave himself a little shake and put the cat out of his mind. As he drove toward town he thought of nothing except a large order of drills he was hoping to get that day.**

"Small memory span" Lisa commented.

******But on the edge of town, drills were driven out of his mind by something else. As he sat in the usual morning traffic jam, he couldn't help noticing that there seemed to be a lot of strangely dressed people about. People in cloaks.**

"What's wrong with cloaks?" Neville asked.

"Muggles don't wear cloaks any more" Rose told him blush

******Mr. Dursley couldn't bear people who dressed in funny clothes — the getups you saw on young people! He supposed this was some stupid new fashion. He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel and his eyes fell on a huddle of these weirdos standing quite close by. They were whispering excitedly together.**

_'So its that day'_ Rose told Harry.

_'Guess so.'_

******Mr. Dursley was enraged to see that a couple of them weren't young at all; why, that man had to be older than he was, and wearing an emerald-green cloak! The nerve of him!**

"Such nerve." Fred exclaimed.

******But then it struck Mr. Dursley that this was probably some silly stunt —these people were obviously collecting for something… yes, that would be it.**

"Collecting?" Seamus asked.

"Collecting money for charities." Mandy replied.

******The traffic moved on and a few minutes later, Mr. Dursley arrived in the Grunnings parking lot, his mind back on drills.**

"Defiantly short time memory" Tonks said

******Mr. Dursley always sat with his back to the window in his office on the ninth floor. If he hadn't, he might have found it harder to concentrate on drills that morning. **_****__**He **_******didn't see the owls swooping past in broad daylight, though people down in the street did; they pointed and gazed open-mouthed as owl after owl sped overhead. Most of them had never seen an owl even at night-time.**

"Vell vi not?" Victor asked.

"In the Muggle world owls are nocturnal." Rose told him.

******Mr. Dursley, however, had a perfectly normal, owl-free morning. He yelled at five different people. He made several important telephone calls and shouted a bit more.**

"I think we should introduce him to Mad-eye." Tonks said.

******He was in a very good mood until lunchtime, when he thought he'd stretch his legs and walk across the road**

"He did what?" the Potter twins asked.

******to buy himself a bun from the bakers opposite.**

"Don't worry worlds right again."

******He'd forgotten all about the people in cloaks until he passed a group of them next to the baker's. He eyed them angrily as he passed. He didn't know why, but they made him uneasy. This lot were whispering excitedly, too, and he couldn't see a single collecting tin. It was on his way back past them, clutching a large doughnut in a bag, that he caught a few words of what they were saying.**

"******The Potters, that's right, that's what I heard –"**

" — ******yes, their son, Harry – "**

******" — their daughter, Rose – "**

The Ravenclaws and adults had figured out what day it was bowed there heads in respect.

******Mr. Dursley stopped dead.**

"Yes!" The Weasley twins shouted standing up.

"Sorry to disappoint but its an expression" Lisa said

******Fear flooded him. He looked back at the whisperers as if he wanted to say something to them, but thought better of it.**

******He dashed back across the road, hurried up to his office, snapped at his secretary not to disturb him, seized his telephone, and had almost finished dialling his home number when he changed his mind. He put the receiver back down and stroked his moustache, thinking… no, he was being stupid**.

"As always." Harry said.

******Potter wasn't such an unusual name. He was sure there were lots of people called Potter who had a son called Harry.**

"Potter is unique in the magical world." Remus told the twins.

"Well yea, but so is Black." Harry said,

"My best friend's surname was Black." Rose told him.

******Come to think of it, he wasn't even sure his nephew **_****__**was **_******called Harry. He'd never even seen the boy. It might have been Harvey. Or Harold.**

"He didn't know your name." Mrs Weasley shrieked.

******He wasn't even aware that he ****____****had ********a niece.**

"Lily sent him the birth announcements." Remus said frowning.

******So perhaps she wasn't called Rose. It could be Rebecca. Or Rochelle. Maybe Poppy or Ivy if they stuck to the Evans traditions.**

"Traditions. Plural. I know about the name ones but what are the others." Flitwick squeaked.

"Its Girls only. There to be named after a flower. The middle name is usually some one special. Then on the first birthday they get given a charm bracelet with their initials and there godparents initials." Rose said pulling her sleeve up to reveal a silver bracelet there was a rose, a wolf and a cat.

"The rose has my initials R.M.P, The wolf has R.J.L and the Cat has A.L.L."

"W'at iz your meddle name?" Fleur asked

"Minerva." she replied smiling at the girl, her English was miles better from last year.

At the teachers table McGonagall was smiling. She knew Rose's middle name but to hear why was touching.

******There was no point in worrying Mrs. Dursley; she always got so upset at any mention of her sister. He didn't blame her — if he'd had a sister like that…**

"Your sister is much worse." Harry told the book.

******but all the same, those people in cloaks…**

******He found it a lot harder to concentrate on drills that afternoon and when he left the building at five o'clock, he was still so worried that he walked straight into someone just outside the door.**

"Did they live?" Rose asked.

"Probably not, Rosie." Harry told her.

"******Sorry," he grunted, **

"OMG! He knows the word." both sets of twins shouted standing up.

"Misters Weasley, Weasley, Potter and Miss Potter. Please sit down and be quiet. Or you'll find your self in detention." Umbridge shouted at them.

******as the tiny old man stumbled and almost fell.**

******It was a few seconds before Mr. Dursley realized that the man was wearing a violet cloak. He didn't seem at all upset at being almost knocked to the ground. On the contrary, his face split into a wide smile and he said in a squeaky voice that made passers by stare, "Don't be sorry, my dear sir, for nothing could upset me today! Rejoice, for You-Know-Who has gone at last!**

"What happened to Statue of Secrecy." Amelia Bones asked

******Even Muggles like yourself should be celebrating, this happy, happy day!"**

"Professor, that wouldn't be you would it." Rose asked her Head Of House. Flitwick just blushed.

******And the old man hugged Mr. Dursley around the middle and walked off.**

"Sir, how was that possible?"

"I don't know Miss Turpin."

******Mr. Dursley stood rooted to the spot. He had been hugged by a complete stranger. He also thought he had been called a Muggle, whatever that was. He was rattled. He hurried to his car and set off for home, hoping he was imagining things, which he had never hoped before, because he didn't approve of imagination.**

"NNOO!" the Weasley twins shouted, before mock fainting.

******As he pulled into the driveway of number four, the first thing he saw—and it didn't improve his mood — was the tabby cat he'd spotted that morning.**

"Minnie!" the Potter twins cried

"Last warning Potters."

******It was now sitting on his garden wall. He was sure it was the same one; it had the same markings around its eyes.**

"******Shoo!" said Mr. Dursley loudly.**

******The cat didn't move. It just gave him a stern look.**

"I've had that look." both twins, Ron, Hermione, Neville.

******Was this normal cat behaviour, Mr. Dursley wondered. Trying to pull himself together, he let himself into the house. He was still determined not to mention anything to his wife.**

"I wonder who wears the trousers in that relationship." Tonks said.

******Mrs. Dursley had had a nice, normal day. She told him over dinner all about Mrs. Next Door's problems with her daughter**

"Jessica Black. My best friend." Rose said smiling.

****** and how Dudley had learned a new word! ("Shan't!"). Mr. Dursley tried to act normally. When Dudley had been put to bed, he went into the living room in time to catch the last report on the evening news:**

"_****__**And finally, bird-watchers everywhere have reported that the nation's owls have been behaving very unusually today. Although owls normally hunt at night and are hardly ever seen in daylight, there have been hundreds of sightings of these birds flying in every direction since sunrise. Experts are unable to explain why the owls have suddenly changed their sleeping pattern." The newsreader allowed himself a grin. "Most mysterious. And now, over to Jim McGuffin with the weather. Going to be any more showers of owls tonight, Jim?"**_

"_****__**Well, Ted,"**_

"Ha, Thats my dad." Tonk said.

**__****said the weatherman, "I don't know about that, but it's not only the owls that have been acting oddly today. Viewers as far apart as Kent, Yorkshire, and Dundee have been phoning in to tell me that instead of the rain I promised yesterday, they've had a downpour of shooting stars! Perhaps people have been celebrating Bonfire Night early — it's not until next week, folks! But I can promise a wet night tonight."**

******Mr. Dursley sat frozen in his armchair. Shooting stars all over Britain? Owls flying by daylight? Mysterious people in cloaks all over the place? And a whisper, a whisper about the Potters…**

**More people started bowing their heads.**

******Mrs. Dursley came into the living room carrying two cups of tea. It was no good. He'd have to say something to her. He cleared his throat nervously.**

"******Er — Petunia, dear — you haven't heard from your sister lately, have you?"**

******As he had expected, Mrs. Dursley looked shocked and angry. After all, they normally pretended she didn't have a sister.**

"Lily often did the same." Remus said, Snuffles barked.

"******No," she said sharply. "Why?"**

"******Funny stuff on the news," Mr. Dursley mumbled. "Owls… shooting stars… and there were a lot of funny-looking people in town today…"**

"_****__**So?**_******" snapped Mrs. Dursley.**

"******Well, I just thought… maybe… it was something to do with… you know… **_****__**her **_******crowd."**

"Her crowd?" Mr. Weasley asked,

"Witches and wizards." Rose and Harry replied.

******Mrs. Dursley sipped her tea through pursed lips. Mr. Dursley wondered whether he dared tell her he'd heard the name "Potter." He decided he didn't dare. Instead he said, as casually as he could, "Their children — they'd be about Dudley's age now, wouldn't they?"**

"******What's the boy's name again? Howard, isn't it?"**

"******Harry. Nasty, common name, if you ask me."**

**"**I like it." Ginny said before blushing.

"******Oh, yes," said Mr. Dursley, his heart sinking horribly. "Yes, I quite agree."**

******"But what about the girl?" he asked again, yet dreading the answer.**

******"The brat's name is Rose. Why?"**

******"No reason."**

******He didn't say another word on the subject as they went upstairs to bed. **

"He's scared of her." Fred laughed, causing more people to laugh.

******While Mrs. Dursley was in the bathroom, Mr. Dursley crept to the bedroom window and peered down into the front garden. The cat was still there.**

"Why though?" Rose asked looking at her brother Head of House.

******It was staring down Privet Drive as though it were waiting for something.**

******Was he imagining things? Could all this have anything to do with the Potters? If it did… if it got out that they were related to a pair of — well, he didn't think he could bear it.********  
**"The feeling's mutual." Harry and Rose replied in sync.

******The Dursleys got into bed. Mrs. Dursley fell asleep quickly but Mr. Dursley lay awake, turning it all over in his mind. His last, comforting thought before he fell asleep was that even if the Potters **_****__**were **_******involved, there was no reason for them to come near him and Mrs. Dursley. The Potters knew very well what he and Petunia thought about them and their kind… He couldn't see how he and Petunia could get mixed up in anything that might be going on — he yawned and turned over — it couldn't affect **_****__**them**_**…**

"How very wrong he was." said Luna dreamily.

******How very wrong he was.**

People started laughing whilst Luna just blinked a few times before shrugging.

******Mr. Dursley might have been drifting into an uneasy sleep, but the cat on the wall outside was showing no sign of sleepiness.**

******It was sitting as still as a statue, its eyes fixed unblinkingly on the far corner of Privet Drive. It didn't so much as quiver when a car door slammed on the next street, nor when two owls swooped overhead. In fact, it was nearly midnight before the cat moved at all.**

******A man appeared on the corner the cat had been watching, appeared so suddenly and silently you'd have thought he'd just popped out of the ground. The cat's tail twitched and its eyes narrowed.**

Rose and Harry just grinned.

******Nothing like this man had ever been seen on Privet Drive. He was tall, thin, and very old, judging by the silver of his hair and beard, which were both long enough to tuck into his belt. He was wearing long robes, a purple cloak that swept the ground, and high-heeled, buckled boots. His blue eyes were light, bright, and sparkling behind half-moon spectacles and his nose was very long and crooked, as though it had been broken at least twice. **

"Who could it be Gred."

"Dunno Forge."

******This man's name was Albus Dumbledore.**

"Ohhh!"

******Albus Dumbledore didn't seem to realize that he had just arrived in a street where everything from his name to his boots was unwelcome.**

"Oh, I knew."

******He was busy rummaging in his cloak, looking for something. But he did seem to realize he was being watched, because he looked up suddenly at the cat, which was still staring at him from the other end of the street. For some reason, the sight of the cat seemed to amuse him. He chuckled and muttered, "I should have known."**

"Known what Sir?" Charlie asked

******He found what he was looking for in his inside pocket. It seemed to be a silver cigarette lighter. He flicked it open, held it up in the air, and clicked it. The nearest street lamp went out with a little pop.**

"I want one!" The golden trio, silver trio, Weasley twins,Lee and Remus shouted. The latter gained funny looks.

******He clicked it again — the next lamp flickered into darkness. Twelve times he clicked the Put-Outer, until the only lights left on the whole street were two tiny pinpricks in the distance, which were the eyes of the cat watching him. If anyone looked out of their window now, even beady-eyed Mrs. Dursley, they wouldn't be able to see anything that was happening down on the pavement. Dumbledore slipped the Put-Outer back inside his cloak and set off down the street toward number four, where he sat down on the wall next to the cat. He didn't look at it, but after a moment he spoke to it.**

"******Fancy seeing you here, Professor McGonagall."**

"Knew it!" Said Rose and Harry.

******He turned to smile at the tabby, but it had gone. Instead he was smiling at a rather severe-looking woman who was wearing square glasses exactly the shape of the markings the cat had had around its eyes. She, too, was wearing a cloak, an emerald one. Her black hair was drawn into a tight bun.**

"Defiantly McGonagall."

******She looked distinctly ruffled.**

"You would be too, if your cover got blown." McGonagall said angrily

"******How did you know it was me?" she asked.**

"******My dear Professor, I've never seen a cat sit so stiffly."**

"******You'd be stiff if you'd been sitting on a brick wall all day," said Professor McGonagall.**

"All day?" Madam Pomfrey asked, only to be ignored.

"******All day? When you could have been celebrating? I must have passed a dozen feasts and parties on my way here."**

"Parties? Seriously?" Rose asked.

"What did you expect Potter?" Zacharias Smith, a fifth year Hufflepuff, asked.

"Dunno but I didn't think people would celebrate considering 2 people were killed that day, yea, Voldemort disappered, but people still died. Its not like the Death Eaters disappeared as well. They still killed people." Rose replied angrily

******Professor McGonagall sniffed angrily.**

"Like Miss Potter said people died that day and there was bound to be more."

"******Oh yes, everyone's celebrating, all right," she said impatiently. "You'd think they'd be a bit more careful, but no — even the Muggles have noticed some thing's going on. It was on their news." She jerked her head back at the Dursleys' dark living-room window. "I heard it. Flocks of owls… shooting stars… Well, they're not completely stupid. They were bound to notice something. Shooting stars down in Kent — I'll bet that was Dedalus Diggle. He never had much sense."**

"It's not nice but its true." Mr Weasley said.

"******You can't blame them," said Dumbledore gently. "We've had precious little to celebrate for eleven years."**

"Wow, that's along time." Lisa said.

"******I know that," said Professor McGonagall irritably. "But that's no reason to lose our heads. People are being downright careless, out on the streets in broad daylight, not even dressed in Muggle clothes, swapping rumours."**

"Surprised they didn't get found out." Mandy said, shocked.

******She threw a sharp, sideways glance at Dumbledore here, as though hoping he was going to tell her something, but he didn't, so she went on.**

"He never tells me anything." She replied stiffly

**"A fine thing it would be if, on the very day You-Know-Who seems to have disappeared at last, the Muggles found out about us all. I suppose he really **_****__**has **_******gone, Dumbledore?"**

"******It certainly seems so," said Dumbledore.**

"Dumbledore said it himself, hes gone!" Fudge said standing up.

"Yea, but now he's saying, we're saying, he is back." Harry said standing up,

"Lies!" Umbridge shouted.

"Just read." Snape said more then slightly annoyed.

**"We have much to be thankful for. Would you care for a lemon drop?"**

"A what?" asked the Pure-bloods and a few Half-Blood

"******A **_****__**what**_******?"**

Many Muggle borns laughed

"******A lemon drop. They're a kind of Muggle sweet I'm rather fond of."**

"******No, thank you," said Professor McGonagall coldly, as though she didn't think this was the moment for lemon drops.**

"It wasn't."

"******As I say, even if You-Know-Who **_****__**has **_******gone —"**

"******My dear Professor, surely a sensible person like yourself can call him by his name? All this 'You-Know-Who' nonsense — for eleven years I have been trying to persuade people to call him by his proper name: **_****__**Voldemort**_******."**

Nearly everyone shivered causing the Potter twins to roll their eyes.

******Professor McGonagall flinched, but Dumbledore, who was unsticking two lemon drops, seemed not to notice. "It all gets so confusing if we keep saying 'You-Know-Who.' I have never seen any reason to be frightened of saying Voldemort's name."**

"Fear of the name-"

"Only increases the fear itself."

"******I know you haven't," said Professor McGonagall, sounding half exasperated, half admiring.**

_'Admiring huh?" _Rose thought to Harry.

**"But you're different. Everyone knows you're the only one You-Know- oh, all right, **_****__**Voldemort**_******, was frightened of."**

"******You flatter me," said Dumbledore calmly. "Voldemort had powers I will never have."**

"Only cause you to noble to use them." Remus and Hermione called out.

_'You know you three are like the Marauders 2.0. Just without the traitor. Ron is Sirius, Hermione is Remus and your dad.' _

_'Believe me Rosie if I started a Marauders 2.0 you would be my Remus. Even if it meant Hermione was forgotten."_

"******Only because you're too — well —**_****__**noble **_******to use them."**

"Mini-McGonagall!" the Weasley twins shouted, pointing at Hermione.

"******It's lucky it's dark. I haven't blushed so much since Madam Pomfrey told me she liked my new earmuffs."**

"Eww. TMI Professor!" Mandy shouted.

******Professor McGonagall shot a sharp look at Dumbledore and said "The owls are nothing next to the rumours********that are flying around. You know what they're saying? About why he's disappeared? About what finally stopped him?"**

"We all want to know." Charlie said looking at the twins

******It seemed that Professor McGonagall had reached the point she was most anxious to discuss, the real reason she had been waiting on a cold, hard wall all day, for neither as a cat nor as a woman had she fixed Dumbledore with such a piercing stare as she did now. It was plain that whatever "everyone" was saying, she was not going to believe it until Dumbledore told her it was true. Dumbledore, however, was choosing another lemon drop and did not answer.**

"Of course he did." Ginny said rolling her eyes.

"******What they're **_****__**saying**_******," she pressed on, "is that last night Voldemort turned up in Godric's Hollow. He went to find the Potters. The rumour is that Lily and James **

******Potter are — are — that they're — **_****__**dead**_******."**

Everyone – even Umbridge – bowed their heads in respect.

******Dumbledore bowed his head. Professor McGonagall gasped.**

"******Lily and James… I can't believe it… I didn't want to believe it… Oh, Albus…" **

"Didn't know you cared professor." Remus said.

******Dumbledore reached out and patted her on the shoulder. "I know… I know…" he said heavily.**

"You seem very awkward professor." Lee Jordan called out.

******Professor McGonagall's voice trembled as she went on. "That's not all. They're saying he tried to kill the Potter's son, Harry. But he couldn't. He couldn't kill that little boy. And young Rose who was sitting half in front of him, putting her in the curse' firing range, survived as well. No one knows why, or how, but they're saying that when he couldn't kill The Potter Twins, Voldemort's power somehow broke — and that's why he's gone."**

The only sound was Umbridge's voice and Rose's almost silent sobs.

******Dumbledore nodded glumly.**

"******It's — it's **_****__**true**_******?" faltered Professor McGonagall. "After all he's done… all the people he's killed… he couldn't kill two little children? It's just astounding… of all the things to stop him… but how in the name of heaven did Harry and Rose survive?"**

"We all want to know." Luna said surprisingly serious as she walked up the Ravenclaw table to sit with Rose.

"******We can only guess." said Dumbledore. "We may never know."**

"But you knew sir. Didn't you?" Harry asked.

******Professor McGonagall pulled out a lace handkerchief and dabbed at her eyes beneath her spectacles. Dumbledore gave a great sniff as he took a golden watch from his pocket and examined it. It was a very odd watch. It had twelve hands but no numbers; instead, little planets were moving around the edge.**

"How can you use that." Colin asked.

******It must have made sense to Dumbledore, though, because he put it back in his pocket and said, "Hagrid's late. I suppose it was he who told you I'd be here, by the way?"**

"Of course it was." Fred said

"******Yes," said Professor McGonagall. "And I don't suppose you're going to tell me **_****__**why **_******you're here, of all places?"**

"******I've come to bring Harry and Rose to their aunt and uncle. They're the only family they have left now."**

"Actually in Mrs. Potters will it says, and I quote 'Under no circumstances are Harry and Rose to go to my sisters' instead they where to go in order wrote down; Sirius and Marlene Black, Remus Lupin, Alice and Frank Longbottom, Ted and Andromadea Tonks then if for some reason they were unable to take them in the Malfoys would gain custody due to being the next magical family member. I was there when the wills was wrote." Amelia Bones said confused.

"I was informed the Dursleys were their only living family." Fudge said.

Umbridge was bored waiting for the discussion to end so when the Minister stopped talking she started to read again.

"******You don't mean – you **_****__**can't **_******mean the people who live **_****__**here**_******?" cried Professor McGonagall, jumping to her feet and pointing at number four.**

"******Dumbledore — you can't. I've been watching them all day. You couldn't find two people who are less like us. And they've got this son — I saw him kicking his mother all the way up the street, screaming for sweets. **

"Yea, he still does that."

******The Potters come and live here!"**

"******It's the best place for them," said Dumbledore firmly. "Their aunt and uncle will be able to explain everything to them when they're older. I've written them a letter."**

"A letter? Really?" Hermione shouted.

"******A letter?" repeated Professor McGonagall faintly, sitting back down on the wall. "Really, Dumbledore, you think you can explain all this in a letter?**

"Mini-McGonagall." The Weasley twins shouted again pointing at Hermione.

******These people will never understand them! They'll be famous — a legend — I wouldn't be surprised if today was known as Twin Potter day in the future**

"Please say there isn't!" Rose said looking around,

"No the paperwork was destroyed in a fire at the Ministry." Dumbledore said his eyes twinkling.

"Thank god." Harry said, sighing with relief.

"Wait, Fire? Why was there a fire? When was this?" Rose asked confused along with the rest of the Ravenclaws. They praised them selves in teaching others in their house thing they knew that others didn't. And no-one had ever mentioned a fire at the Ministry.

"That might have been the first-" Fred started

"And last time, dad took us-" George continued

"To work with him." Charlie finished.

Rose stared at them then blinked, before jumping up and running over to hug the three of them. Thanking them over and over again. Neville looked over and couldn't help but be jealous. Over the years he had come to admit he had a crush on Rose Potter, not the Girl-Who-Lived, but the kind hearted girl who always helped him when he need it. The girl who willingly tutored him in most subjects.

******- there will be books written about Harry and Rose — every child in our world will know their names!"**

"Not wrong there" Tonks said.

"******Exactly." said Dumbledore, looking very seriously over the top of his half-moon glasses. "It would be enough to turn any child's head. Famous before they can walk and talk! Famous for something they won't even remember! **

"But we can remember." Rose said looking down.

******Can you see how much better off they'll be, growing up away from all that until they're ready to take it?"**

"See when you say it like that no one can argue." Harry agreed.

******Professor McGonagall opened her mouth, changed her mind, swallowed, and then said, "Yes — yes, you're right, of course. But how are the children getting here, Dumbledore?" She eyed his cloak suddenly as though she thought he might be hiding the twins underneath it.**

"Eww!" All the children exclaimed.

"******Hagrid's bringing them."**

"******You think it —**_****__**wise **_**— ********to trust Hagrid with something as important as this?"**

"I would trust Hagrid with my life." the golden trio and Rose said, making Hagrid beam,

"Just not my secrets." Rose added.

"******I would trust Hagrid with my life," said Dumbledore.**

Making Hagrid smile grow

"******I'm not saying his heart isn't in the right place," said Professor McGonagall grudgingly, "but you can't pretend he's not careless. He does tend to — what was that?"**

"What was what?"

******A low rumbling sound had broken the silence around them. It grew steadily louder as they looked up and down the street for some sign of a headlight; it swelled to a roar as ********they both looked up at the sky — and a huge motorcycle fell out of the air and landed on the road in front of them.**

"Whoa! You mean it was real?" Rose asked staring at Harry.

******If the motorcycle was huge, it was nothing to the man sitting astride it.**

******He was almost twice as tall as a normal man and at least five times as wide. He looked simply too big to be allowed, and so **_****__**wild **_**— ********long tangles of bushy black hair and beard hid most of his face, he had hands the size of trash can lids, and his feet in their leather boots were like baby dolphins. In his vast, muscular arms he was holding a bundle of blankets.**

"Why was he holding blankets?" Ron asked,

"Its Harry and Rose you idiot." Ginny said, while Hermione hit him in the back of his head.

"******Hagrid," said Dumbledore, sounding relieved. "At last. And where did you get that motorcycle?"**

"******Borrowed it, Professor Dumbledore, sir," said the giant, climbing carefully off the motorcycle as he spoke. "Young Sirius Black lent it to me. I've got 'em, sir."**

"No theres something, if he wanted to kill us, why would he give Hagrid the bike to get us to safety?" Rose asked. That is why the Ravenclaws inwardly believe her when she says that Sirius Black is innocent. Logic can't be beaten.

"******No problems, were there?"**

"******No, sir — house was almost destroyed, but I got 'em out all right before the Muggles started swarmin' around. They fell asleep as we was flyin' over Bristol."**

******Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall bent forward over the bundle of blankets. Inside, just visible, was a baby girl, fast asleep, and a baby boy also asleep.**

"Awww!" The girls said, while the Weasley twins said it mockingly.

******Under a tuft of jet-black and bright red hair over their foreheads they could see a curiously shaped cut, like a bolt of lightning.**

"Whoa, hang on you have a scar as well?" Bill asked.

Sighing in defeat, Rose pulled her ginger fringe back to reveal a lightning bolt scar

"I didn't know that." Neville said looking over at her, slightly confused on while he never saw it when they were in tutoring.

"I always keep my fringe over it during the time when we meet." she admitted, blushing. It wasn't her fault she liked Neville.

"Wait, You meet up? When do you meet up?" Harry asked confused, only to be ignored from both people.

"******Is that where —?" whispered Professor McGonagall.**

"******Yes," said Dumbledore. "They'll have those scars forever."**

"******Couldn't you do something about it, Dumbledore?"**

"Please say you can?" Harry asked.

"******Even if I could, I wouldn't. Scars can come in handy.**

"How is this handy. Its just a pain." Rose said indicating to where her own scar would be.

******I have one myself above my left knee that is a perfect map of the London ********Underground.**

"Really sir?" Lee asked.

"Yes Mr. Jordan."

******Well — give them here, Hagrid — we'd better get this over with."**

******Dumbledore took Harry in his arms and turned toward the Dursleys' house.**

"******Could I — could I say good-bye to 'em, sir?" asked Hagrid. He bent his great, shaggy head over Harry and gave him what must have been a very scratchy, whiskery kiss and did the same to Rose. Then, suddenly, Hagrid let out a howl like a wounded dog.**

"Padfoot would be offended by that." Remus said, causing the Weasley twins to whip their heads round they nearly gave themselves whiplash.

"You knew the Marauders?"

"Knew them they where the best pranksters Hogwarts has ever seen." He replied grinning.

"******Shhh!" hissed Professor McGonagall, "You'll wake the Muggles!"**

"******S-s-sorry," sobbed Hagrid, taking out a large, spotted handkerchief and burying his face in it. "But I c-c-can't stand it —Lily an' James dead — an' poor little Harry an' Rose off ter live with Muggles —"**

"******Yes, yes, it's all very sad, but get a grip on yourself, Hagrid, or we'll be found," Professor McGonagall whispered, patting Hagrid gingerly on the arm as Dumbledore stepped over the low garden wall and walked to the front door. He laid Harry and Rose gently on the doorstep, took a letter out of his cloak, tucked it inside Harry And Rose's blankets, and then came back to the other two.**

"Wait you left them on the doorstep. Why not ring the door bell or knock on the door?" Lisa asked.

"Wouldn't of woke them anyway." Rose shrugged.

******For a full minute the three of them stood and looked at the little bundle; Hagrid's shoulders shook, Professor McGonagall blinked furiously, and the twinkling light that usually shone from Dumbledore's eyes seemed to have gone out.**

"Not the-" George started, fake crying

"Twinkling light!" Fred finished, pretending to sob into his brothers shoulder.

"******Well," said Dumbledore finally, "that's that. We've no business staying here. We may as well go and join the celebrations."**

"Excusez-moi. W'at ded you zay?" Fleur asked.

"******Yeah," said Hagrid in a very muffled voice, "I best get this bike away. G'night, Professor McGonagall — Professor Dumbledore, sir."**

******Wiping his streaming eyes on his jacket sleeve, Hagrid swung himself onto the motorcycle and kicked the engine into life; with a roar it rose into the air and off into the night.**

"******I shall see you soon, I expect, Professor McGonagall," said Dumbledore, nodding to her. Professor McGonagall blew her nose in reply.**

"How rude." Fred said, only to have George pretend to blow his nose in reply

******Dumbledore turned and walked back down the street. On the corner he stopped and took out the silver Put-Outer. He clicked it once, and twelve balls of light sped back to their street lamps so that Privet Drive glowed suddenly orange and he could make out a tabby cat slinking around the corner at the other end of the street. He could just see the bundle of blankets on the step of number four.**

"Still can't believe your doing that."

"******Good luck, Harry, Rose" he murmured. He turned on his heel and with a swish of his cloak, he was gone.**

******A breeze ruffled the neat hedges of Privet Drive, which lay silent and tidy under the inky sky, the very last place you would expect astonishing things to happen. Harry turned over but neither he nor Rose woke up. Rose's small hand closed on the letter beside her and she and her brother slept on, not knowing they were special, not knowing they were famous, not knowing they would be woken in a few hours' time by Mrs. Dursley's screams she opened the front door to put out the milk bottles, nor that they would spend the next few weeks being prodded and pinched by his cousin Dudley…**

"Try next few years." Harry said.

******They couldn't know that at this very moment, people meeting in secret all over the country were holding up their glasses and saying in hushed voices: "To Harry and Rose Potter — the children who lived!"**

"End of the Chapter. Who will read next?" Umbridge asked.


	3. The Vanishing Glass

"I will." Dumbledore said, "But before I do, lets sit a bit more comfortably. If you could stand please." he asked and once everyone had he transformed the benches into cushions and a few couches for the adults. "You may sit as you please."

Mandy, Lisa, Luna, Victor, Fleur and Rose made their way over to where the Gryffindor table use to be to sit with them. The three couches formed a sort of crescent moon. Bill and Charlie took the first couch, Tonks and Remus took the second and Mr. Weasley and Mrs. Weasley took the third. The Children took cushions and arranged them selves in a circle by their feet. Rose sat by Tonk's legs, Neville sat on her right (by Charlie's legs), Ginny next to him leaning on Bills legs, Luna sat to her right, then Lisa, Fleur. Then Lee who loved sitting next to the French Veela. On his right sat George and then Fred. Victor sat down next followed by Mandy who sat next to Ron who leaned on the sofa by his mums legs. On his right sat Hermione who was stroking the big black dogs head. On the other side of the dog sat Harry who was leaning on the sofa by Remus' legs.

"Are we all comfortable? Good, lets begin."

**The Vanishing Glass**,

Rose paled and rested her head on Neville's shoulder while Harry gulped nervously. They were going to hear about their home lives.

The adults noticed this and stared at them suspiciously. Harry tended to take things head on and show no emotion, Rose was the same but she was pale, and it made them very concerned.

**Nearly ten years had passed since the Dursleys had woken up to find their nephew on the front step, but Privet Drive had hardly changed at all. The sun rose on the same tidy front gardens and lit up the brass number four on the Dursleys' front door; it crept into their living room, which was almost exactly the same as it had been on the night when Mr. Dursley had seen that fateful news report about the owls. Only the photographs on the mantelpiece really showed how much time had passed. Ten years ago, there had been lots of pictures of what looked like a large pink beach ball wearing different-colored bonnets**

People snickered.

**but Dudley Dursley was no longer a baby, and now the photographs showed a large blond boy riding his first bicycle**

"Which he broke the moment he sat on it." Rose mused, and people in the circle snorted.

**, on a carousel at the fair, playing a computer game with his father, being hugged and kissed by his mother. The room held no sign at all that other children lived in the house, too.**

Snape and Malfoy blinked. No pictures of Potter being spoilt at home?

"Why were there no pictures of you two?" Hermione asked.

Harry shrugged and Rose remained silent.

**Yet Harry Potter was still there, asleep at the moment with his sister on the floor beside his bed,**

"Why were you on the floor?" Remus asked,

"Nightmare." Was Rose's reply.

**but not for long. Their Aunt Petunia was awake and it was her shrill voice that made the first noise of the day.**

Rose groaned moving so her head was in Neville's neck.

**"Up! Get up! Now!"**

Some people winced.

**Harry woke with a start. His aunt rapped on the door again.**

"Give them a chance to wake up first!" Ginny huffed.

**"Up!" she screeched. Harry heard her walking toward the kitchen and then the sound of the frying pan being put on the stove. He rolled onto his back and tried to remember the dream he had been having. It had been a good one. There had been a flying motorcycle in it. He had a funny feeling he'd had the same dream before.**

**Rose on the other hand sat up from the floor, she had had another nightmare. They always seemed to be the same-thing. **

"What was the nightmare about?" Tonks asked.

"You'll see."

**Their aunt was back outside the door.**

**"Are you up yet?" she demanded.**

**"Nearly," said Harry.**

**"Well, get a move on, I want you to look after the bacon.**

"They made you cook?" Hermione said, dangerously calm. Rose shrugged.

"I liked cooking."

"Still! You were eleven!"

**And don't you dare let it burn, I want everything perfect on Duddy's birthday."**

**Rose groaned.**

**"What did you say?" his aunt snapped through the door.**

"They didn't say anything!" Neville snarled.

**"Nothing, nothing…"**

**Dudley's birthday — how could they have forgotten?**

"We don't care." Was Rose's reply as she looked up.

**Harry got slowly out of bed and started looking for socks. Rose handed him a pair she pulled out from under their bed and, after pulling a spider off one of them.**

Ron shuddered. And Fred looked slightly guilty.

**The twins were used to spiders**

"Until second year. I never want to see those things again." Harry shuddered. Ron snickered.

People looked at them curiously, but they waved it off.

"Second year."

**, because the cupboard under the stairs was full of them**

_'Oh boy...'_they thought.

**, and that was where they slept.**

Everything was silent, even Fred and George couldn't joke about that. Malfoy, who always wanted a chance to insult them, couldn't. Neville was the one to break it.

"You sleep WHERE?" he roared.

"B-but we saw your b-bedroom - " Fred stuttered in shock.

"The b-bars on the windows - " said George.

"That was after we received our first Hogwarts letter." said Rose as she avoided the eyes of many.

Snape and McGonagall glared at Dumbledore.

"You said it was the best place for them!" McGonagall yelled.

"It is." Dumbledore muttered.

"Well it obviously isn't." She replied.

Snape stayed silent but continued to glare at the Headmaster.

"Filthy abusive muggles!" Luna, Mandy and Lisa were hissing.

"I'll kill them." Neville said.

"No. No you wont." Rose said lifting her head of his shoulder, "I wont let you other wise you'll probably end up in Azkaban."

"It'll be worth it." he said the other boys in the circle nodding.

"Well tough." she said putting her head back on his shoulder.

**When he was dressed he went down the hall into the kitchen. The table was almost hidden beneath all Dudley's birthday presents.**

Harry and Rose scowled.

**It looked as though Dudley had gotten the new computer he wanted, not to mention the second television and the racing bike. Exactly why Dudley wanted a racing bike was a mystery to Harry, as Dudley was very fat and hated exercise**

"And I still don't know why he wanted that." Harry mused. Rose grinned.

"He broke that when he sat on it too." she said. A few people chuckled weakly.

**unless of course it involved punching somebody.**

"He better not mean you two." hissed Ginny.

**Dudley's favourite punching bag was Harry**

"All right, that's it." Sensing danger, Luna grabbed Ginny's hand restraining her from moving, kind of like what Rose did putting her head on Neville's shoulder.

**, but he couldn't often catch him.**

"Well, there's that at least" Hermione muttered.

**Harry didn't look it, but he was very fast.**

"Youngest seeker in a century!" cheered the original Quidditch team.

**Then there was Rose.**

"He hits you too?" Neville snarled. He couldn't help feel protective of the girl he liked. Rose glanced at him before wrapping her arm round his waist shocking him.

**Dudley always found ways to catch her,**

"WHAT?"

**but she always ran toward her friend and neighbour Jessica Black who always let her into the house, she was also the only one Dudley was scared of.**

Cue laughter and relieved sighs.

"As if the only person he's scared of is a girl." Charlie laughed.

**Perhaps it had something to do with living in a dark cupboard,**

People growled.

**but the twins had always been small and skinny for their age.**

"Scrawny gits." said Ron.

"Its actually the Potter Genes."

**They looked even smaller and skinnier than they really were because all they had to wear were old clothes of Dudley's,**

"They don't even but you new clothes?" asked Mandy.

"Nope." said the twins.

**and Dudley was about four times bigger than he was.**

Rose snorted. "Understatement of the year." Harry snickered.

"Grows several inches every year - "

"Weighs several more pounds a month - "

"Eats twice as more every week - "

"Doesn't even exercise - "

" - unless his life dependes on it-"

"Last summer he finally reached his life goal-"

"Of being wider then he is tall." They finished together.

Those who haven't heard them finish each others sentences before, were watching them with wide eyes. Even the Weasley twins were gaping.

"What?" they chorused again.

People began shaking their heads and turning back to Dumbledore.

**Both had a thin face, knobbly knees,**

"James." said Professor Flitwick.

**and bright green eyes.**

"Lily." Remus said

**But while Harry had Jet-Black hair, Rose had Bright Red.**

**Harry wore round glasses held together with a lot of Scotch tape**

"Why?" asked Lisa.

**because of all the times Dudley had punched him on the nose.**

Ginny growled.

**Where as Rose glasses were absolutely fine.**

"Why?" Lisa asked again.

"Mine were expensive because mine were tinged yellow due to minor Dyslexia."

"You have Dyslexia?" Hermione asked.

"Like I said minor. Instead of moving around the paper they sort of wiggle. Its very distracting. Its why all my books have yellow back ground."

**The only thing the twins liked about their own appearances was a very thin scar on their foreheads that was shaped like a bolt of lightning.**

"You two actually liked it?" Ron asked.

Harry tried to flatten his hair, while Rose laughed at him. She didn't need to flatten hers, as her long ginger bangs were already covering her scar.

"We didn't know how we got it back then." said Harry.

**They've had it as long as they could remember, and the first question they could ever remember asking their Aunt Petunia was how they had gotten it.**

**"In the car crash when your parents died,"**

"They lied to you?" snarled Hermione.

Remus wanted to hex Petunia Dursley so badly.

**she had said. "And don't ask questions."**

"How will you learn?" asked Mandy.

**Don't ask questions — that was the first rule for a quiet life with the Dursleys.**

"Quiet?" Harry mused.

"Don't think it was ever quiet."

**Uncle Vernon entered the kitchen as Harry was turning over the bacon.**

**"Comb your hair!" he barked, by way of a morning greeting.**

"Not going to work!" Rose sang, and Harry scowled at her then pocked her in her side making her move closer to Neville.

**About once a week, Uncle Vernon looked over the top of his newspaper and shouted that Harry needed a haircut. Harry must have had more haircuts than the rest of the boys in his class put together, but it made no difference, his hair simply grew that way — all over the place.**

Rose laughed.

**Rose had no such problems, though.**

"Lucky you." Harry huffed.

**Rose was frying eggs by the time Dudley arrived in the kitchen with his mother. Dudley looked a lot like Uncle Vernon. He had a large pink face, not much neck, small, watery blue eyes, and thick blond hair that lay smoothly on his thick, fat head.**

**"Ew." said Parvarti Patil.**

**Aunt Petunia often said that Dudley looked like a baby angel — Harry often said that Dudley looked like a pig in a wig.**

Fred and George beamed at Harry.

**Rose scolded him about that though -**

The Weasley twins, Hermione, Ron, Lisa, Mandy, Neville and Ginny stared at her.

**because she said it was a great insult to pigs.**

Cue laughter.

"Who knew you two were so funny?" George laughed.

"You have to come pranking with us!" Fred said through his laughs.

Harry and Rose wore matching grins, while the teachers paled at the thought of the children of James Potter and the Weasley twins going pranking together.

**Rose put the plates of egg and bacon on the table, which was difficult as there wasn't much room. Dudley, meanwhile, was counting his presents. His face fell.**

**"Thirty-six," he said, looking up at his mother and father. "That's two less than last year."**

"Thirty-six?" chocked Malfoy. "Even I don't get that many."

The circle looked at him with amused stares, and he flushed slightly.

**"Darling, you haven't counted Auntie Marge's present, see, it's here under this big one from Mummy and Daddy."**

**"All right, thirty-seven then," said Dudley, going red in the face. Harry, who could see a huge Dudley tantrum coming on, began wolfing down his bacon as fast as possible in case Dudley turned the table over. And Rose glanced at him as she also ate, making sure he wouldn't choke.**

"Good idea, mate." Ron and Mandy said. "Don't let the food go to waste."

"Trust Ron and Mandy to worry about the food." Rose snorted.

Ron and Mandy both blushed as people snickered at them.

**Aunt Petunia obviously scented danger, too, because she said quickly, "And we'll buy you another two presents while we're out today. How's that, popkin? Two more presents. Is that all right?"**

**Dudley thought for a moment. It looked like hard work.**

"Yeah, no kidding." commented Rose and Harry. People chuckled.

**Finally he said slowly, "So I'll have thirty… thirty…"**

"He can't even count!" said Professor Sprout disapprovingly.

**"Thirty-nine, sweetums," said Aunt Petunia.**

**"Oh." Dudley sat down heavily and grabbed the nearest parcel. "All right then."**

**Uncle Vernon chuckled.**

**"Little tyke wants his money's worth, just like his father. 'Atta boy, Dudley!" He ruffled Dudley's hair.**

"He's encouraging it!" Professor Sinistra huffed.

**At that moment the telephone rang and Aunt Petunia went to answer it while Harry and Uncle Vernon watched Dudley unwrap the racing bike, a video camera, a remote control airplane, sixteen new computer games, and a VCR.**

"Muggle things" Hermione answered before any of the purebloods could ask.

**He was ripping the paper off a gold wristwatch when Aunt Petunia came back from the telephone looking both angry and worried.**

**"Bad news, Vernon," she said. "Mrs. Figg's broken her leg. She can't take them." She jerked her head in Harry and Rose's direction**.

"They have names!" hissed Ginny.

**Dudley's mouth fell open in horror, but Harry's heart gave a leap. Every year on Dudley's birthday, his parents took him and a friend out for the day, to adventure parks, hamburger restaurants, or the movies. Every year, Harry was left behind with Mrs. Figg, a mad old lady who lived two streets away. Harry hated it there. The whole house smelled of cabbage and Mrs. Figg made him look at photographs of all the cats she'd ever owned.**

Lavender and Parvarti wrinkled her nose at the mention of the smell of cabbage.

**"Now what?" said Aunt Petunia, looking furiously at the twins as though they'd planned this.**

"Yes, because that's how we spend our days - "

" - plotting how to make them miserable." cried the Potter twins dramatically.

A few people snickered.

**Harry knew he ought to feel sorry that Mrs. Figg had broken her leg, but it wasn't easy when he reminded himself it would be a whole year before he had to look at Tibbles, Snowy, Mr. Paws, and Tufty again.**

"Harry..." Hermione reprimanded.

**Rose really did feel sorry for her.**

"Why can't you be more like Rose, Harry." Hermione asked

**"We could phone Marge," Uncle Vernon suggested.**

**"Don't be silly, Vernon, she hates the children."**

"Isn't she … ?" Ron trailed off

"Ahuh." Rose nodded, causing Ron, Hermione, Mandy and Lisa to laugh

The rest of the hall looked confused.

**The Dursleys often spoke about the twins like this, as though they weren't there — or rather, as though they were something very nasty that couldn't understand them, like a slug.**

Ginny and Neville huffed.

**"What about what's-her-name, your friend — Yvonne?"**

**"On vacation in Majorca," snapped Aunt Petunia.**

**"You could just leave me here," Harry put in hopefully (he'd be able to watch what he wanted on television for a change and maybe even have a go on Dudley's computer). Rose on the other hand, tried to look innocent but mentally thinking of ways to set traps in Dudley's room.**

Snape glanced at them in light shock. "That was very Slytherin of you, Potters."

Rose and Harry looked shocked, while mentally they winced.

**Aunt Petunia looked as though she'd just swallowed a lemon.**

"What was the difference?" asked Harry. People laughed.

**"And come back and find the house in ruins?" she snarled.**

"They won't blow up the house!" Ginny said indignantly.

"Probably only Dudley's room." Neville added

**"We won't blow up the house," said Harry**

Harry and Ginny looked at each other and blushed.

**"Just Dudley's room." muttered Rose.**

Neville blushed while Rose laughed.

**, but they weren't listening.**

"Of course." muttered Hermione.

**"I suppose we could take him to the zoo," said Aunt Petunia slowly, "… and leave them in the car…"**

"That's child abuse!" cried Hermione and Lisa.

**"That car's new, they're not sitting in it alone…"**

**Dudley began to cry loudly. In fact, he wasn't really crying — it had been years since he'd really cried — but he knew that if he screwed up his face and wailed, his mother would give him anything he wanted.**

The twins glanced at Malfoy.

**"Dinky Duddydums**

There was a moment of silence in the Great Hall, before the burst into uncontrollable fits of of laughter.

"Dinky Duddydums!" gasped Lee.

"P-poor kid!" laughed Victor.

"Makes...me...feel almost..sorry for..him!" said Luna through fits of laughter.

Even Mrs. Weasley was laughing.

**, don't cry, Mummy won't let him spoil your special day!" she cried, flinging her arms around him.**

**"I… don't… want… them… t-t-to come!" Dudley yelled between huge, pretend sobs. "They always sp-spoil everything!" He shot Harry and Rose a nasty grin through the gap in his mother's arms.**

"Awful child!" McGonagall sniffed.

**Just then, the doorbell rang — "Oh, good Lord, they're here!" said Aunt Petunia frantically — and a moment later, Dudley's best friend, Piers Polkiss, walked in with his mother. Piers was a scrawny boy with a face like a rat. He was usually the one who held people's arms behind their backs while Dudley hit them. Dudley stopped pretending to cry at once.**

**As soon as he entered the room, Pier glanced at Rose and winked. Harry thought Rose was going to be sick, seeing as she had gone extremely pale.**

Rose scrunched her nose and gagged. Neville put his arm around her shoulder. Lisa and Mandy shared knowing looks from across the circle.

**Half an hour later, the twins, who couldn't believe their luck, were sitting in the back of the Dursleys' car with Piers and Dudley, on the way to the zoo for the first time in their lives. Their aunt and uncle hadn't been able to think of anything else to do with them, but before they'd left, Uncle Vernon had taken the twins aside.**

**"I'm warning you," he had said, putting his large purple face right up close to Harry's,**

"Eww!" Most girls squealed.

**"I'm warning you now, boy, girl — any funny business, anything at all — and you'll be in that cupboard from now until Christmas."**

"Did he mean it?" asked Mr. Weasley.

She shook her head. "No." she said unconcernedly. "It was just another empty threat."

Mr. Weasley frowned. "Rose... Harry"

"Seriously Mr. Weasley," she looked up at him with a small smile. "We're alright."

He hesitated, but left it... for now.

**"We're not going to do anything," said Rose, "honestly…"**

**But Uncle Vernon didn't believe them. No one ever did.**

**The problem was, strange things often happened around the twins and it was just no good telling the Dursleys they didn't make them happen.**

**Once, Aunt Petunia, tired of Harry coming back from the barbers looking as though he hadn't been at all, had taken a pair of kitchen scissors and cut his hair so short he was almost bald except for his bangs, which she left "to hide that horrible scar."**

Ginny growled.

**Dudley had laughed himself silly at Harry, who spent a sleepless night imagining school the next day, where he was already laughed at for his baggy clothes and taped glasses. Next morning, however, he had gotten up to find his hair exactly as it had been before Aunt Petunia had sheared it off**.

"The unbeatable Potter hair." Remus grinned and looked at Rose.

"You don't have it though." he said and Rose nodded.

"I know, thank Merlin."

**He had been given a week in his cupboard for this, even though he had tried to explain that he couldn't explain how it had grown back so quickly.**

"Petunia knows about accidental magic." muttered Snape in disdain.

**Another time, Aunt Petunia had been trying to force Rose into a revolting old sweater of Dudley's (brown with orange puff balls).**

"Bet it makes you think twice about your, eh Ron?" Harry asked as she saw the redhead turn a light shade of green. Ron nodded.

**The harder she tried to pull it over her head, the smaller it seemed to become, until finally it might have fitted a hand puppet, but certainly wouldn't fit Rose. Aunt Petunia had decided it must have shrunk in the wash and, to her great relief, Rose wasn't punished.**

"Good." Neville breathed.

**On the other hand, she'd gotten into terrible trouble for being found on the roof of the school kitchens.**

Harry glanced at her. "When was this?"

**Harry was at the nurse's office, due to his broken nose. Dudley's gang decided to turn to Rose as their punching bag, and Pier hoping he could steal a kiss from her,**

"Oh! Then." Hermione and Ginny looked flabbergasted, and the Weasley twins, Ron, Neville and Victor looked murderous.

Rose gulped, scared of the look on their faces.

**and to Rose's surprise as anyone else's, there she was sitting on the chimney.**

"Cool!" yelled Fred and George.

The teacher's shared a look. It was powerful accidental magic.

**The Dursleys had received a very angry letter from the twin's headmistress telling them Rose had been climbing school buildings. But all she'd tried to do (as she shouted at Uncle Vernon through the locked door of her cupboard) was jump behind the big trash cans outside the kitchen doors. Rose supposed that the wind must have caught her in mid-jump.**

"We need to teach you how to lie better." said George in disappointment.

"Give me a break. I was seven!"

**But today, nothing was going to go wrong.**

"You jinxed it!" cried Lee.

**It was even worth being with Dudley and Piers to be spending the day somewhere that wasn't school, their cupboard, or Mrs. Figg's cabbage-smelling living room.**

**While he drove, Uncle Vernon complained to Aunt Petunia. He liked to complain about things: people at work, Harry, the council, Rose, the bank, Rose and Harry were just a few of his favorite subjects.**

"He likes to complain about you two." said Ginny.

**This morning, it was motorcycles.**

**"… roaring along like maniacs, the young hoodlums," he said, as a motorcycle overtook them.**

**"I had a dream about a motorcycle," said Harry, remembering suddenly. "It was flying."**

**Rose smacked her forehead with the palm of her hand.**

A lot of people in the hall groaned.

"Give me a break!" cried Harry. "I was ten!"

**Uncle Vernon nearly crashed into the car in front. He turned right around in his seat and yelled at Harry, his face like a gigantic beet with a moustache:**

"Eww."

**"MOTORCYCLES DON'T FLY!"**

**Dudley and Piers sniggered. Rose glared at the furiously; and they shut up at once.**

"You do look scary when you're angry." Ron snickered, and Rose glared at him. He shut up.

"A-nd this is why you're awesome. Saved are lives a few times with that." Hermione rolled eyes at her.

**"I know they don't," said** **Harry. "It was only a dream."**

**But he wished he hadn't said anything. If there was one thing the Dursleys hated even more than his asking questions, it was his talking about anything acting in a way it shouldn't, no matter if it was in a dream or even a cartoon — they seemed to think he might get dangerous ideas.**

The Weasley twins shared a grin.

"Where can we find these cartoons?."

**It was a very sunny Saturday and the zoo was crowded with families. The Dursleys boughtDudley and Piers large chocolate ice creams at the entrance and then, because the smiling lady in the van had asked Harry and Rose what they wanted before the Dursleys could hurry them away, and bought them cheap lemon ice pops.**

"It was actually okay." Harry and Rose said.

**It wasn't bad, either, Harry thought, licking it as they watched a gorilla scratching its head who looked remarkably like Dudley, except that it wasn't blond.**

The Hall roared with laughter.

**Rose scolded him again -**

The hall fell silent and gaped at Rose.

**telling him he shouldn't insult the animals, and that the gorilla was a genius compared to Dudley.**

People burst out laughing again

"You two really need to come pranking with us!" Fred gasped as he clutched his sides.

"And Merlin" gasped George. "never give up that sense of humor!"

**Harry and Rose had the best morning he'd had in a long time. They careful to walk a little way apart from the Dursleys so that Dudley and Piers, who were starting to get bored with the animals by lunchtime, wouldn't fall back on their favorite hobby of hitting them.**

**The circle growled.**

**They ate in the zoo restaurant, and when Dudley had a tantrum because his knickerbocker glory didn't have enough ice cream on top, Uncle Vernon bought him another one and the twins were allowed to finish the first.**

**They both felt, afterward, that they should have known it was all too good to last.**

"Of course it was."

**After lunch they went to the reptile house. It was cool and dark in there, with lit windows all along the walls. Behind the glass, all sorts of lizards and snakes were crawling and slithering over bits of wood and stone. Dudley and Piers wanted to see huge, poisonous cobras and thick, man-crushing pythons. Dudley quickly found the largest snake in the place. It could have wrapped its body twice around Uncle Vernon's car and crushed it into a trash can — but at the moment it didn't look in the mood. In fact, it was fast asleep.**

**Dudley stood with his nose pressed against the glass, staring at the glistening brown coils.**

**"Make it move," he whined at his father. Uncle Vernon tapped on the glass, but the snake didn't budge.**

**"Do it again," Dudley ordered. Uncle Vernon rapped the glass smartly with his knuckles, but the snake just snoozed on.**

**"This is boring," Dudley moaned. He shuffled away.**

**Harry and Rose moved in front of the tank and looked intently at the snake. They wouldn't have been surprised if it had died of boredom itself — no company except stupid people drumming their fingers on the glass trying to disturb it all day long. It was worse than having a cupboard as a bedroom, where the only visitor was Aunt Petunia hammering on the door to wake you up; at least he got to visit the rest of the house.**

"Why are you two comparing yourselves to a snake?" Ron asked. And the twins merely shrugged.

**The snake suddenly opened its beady eyes. Slowly, very slowly, it raised its head until its eyes were on a level with the twin's.**

**It winked.**

"Snakes don't have eyelids." Hermione commented in suspicion.

**Harry stared, and Rose looked quickly around to see if anyone was watching. They weren't. She looked back at the snake and winked, too.**

**The snake jerked its head toward Uncle Vernon and Dudley, then raised its eyes to the ceiling. It gave Harry and Rose a look that said quite plainly:**

**"I get that all the time."**

**"I know," Harry murmured through the glass, though he wasn't sure the snake could hear him. "It must be really annoying."**

**The snake nodded vigorously.**

"You two are mental, conversing with a snake." Ron said with a shake of his head.

"We know." the two chorused.

**"Where do you come from, anyway?" Rose asked.**

**The snake jabbed its tail at a little sign next to the glass. Harry peered at it.**

**Boa Constrictor, Brazil.**

**"Was it nice there?"**

**The boa constrictor jabbed its tail at the sign again and Rose read on: This specimen was bred in the zoo. "Oh, I see — so you've never been to Brazil?"**

Ron felt the urge to face-palm.

**As the snake shook its head, a deafening shout behind the twins made both of them jump. "DUDLEY! MR. DURSLEY! COME AND LOOK AT THIS SNAKE! YOU WON'T BELIEVE WHAT IT'S DOING!"**

**Dudley came waddling toward them as fast as he could.**

"You made him sound like a penguin." commented Neville.

Rose shook her head. "Can't be, penguins are cute, Dud doesn't fit the description." A few people snickered.

**"Out of the way, you," he said, punching Harry in the ribs.**

Ginny hissed.

**Caught by surprise, Harry tripped over Rose and both fell hard on the concrete floor.**

Growls echoed in the Hall.

**What came next happened so fast no one saw how it happened — one second, Piers and Dudley were leaning right up close to the glass, the next, they had leapt back with howls of horror.**

"What did you do?" Mandy asked excitedly. Rose shook her head with a smile.

"You'll see."

**Harry quickly rolled off Rose, sat up and gasped; the glass front of the boa constrictor's tank had vanished.**

"Brilliant!" the Weasley twins cheered.

"If only they would put as much effort in classes." Snape commented dryly.

"But there aren't any snakes in your classes, Professor." Rose grinned.

Lisa howled with laughter. "Smart-arse."

**The great snake was uncoiling itself rapidly, slithering out onto the floor. People throughout the reptile house screamed and started running for the exits.**

**As the snake slid swiftly past him, Harry and Rose could have sworn a low, hissing voice said, "Brazil, here I come… Thanksss, amigos."**

"I wonder if he ever made it to Brazil?"Harry wondered.

"Probably not." Rose told him.

"Nope sorry kiddies, I was sent to round him up. My first Auror assignment, rounding up a snake released by magic." Tonks told them.

**The keeper of the reptile house was in shock.**

**"But the glass," he kept saying, "where did the glass go?"**

"Into non-being, which is to say, everything." Rose said

"Stupid Muggle." Malfoy sneered, but was ignored.

**The zoo director himself made Aunt Petunia a cup of strong, sweet tea while he apologized over and over again. Piers and Dudley could only gibber. As far as the twins have seen, the snake hadn't done anything except snap playfully at their heels as it passed, but by the time they were all back in Uncle Vernon's car, Dudley was telling them how it had nearly bitten off his leg, while Piers was swearing it had tried to squeeze him to death. But worst of all, for the twins at least, was Piers calming down enough to say, "Harry and Rose were talking to it, weren't you?"**

"Dear Merlin..." Hermione muttered.

**Uncle Vernon waited until Piers was safely out of the house before starting on the twins. He was so angry he could hardly speak. He managed to say, "Go — cupboard — stay — no meals," before he collapsed into a chair, and Aunt Petunia had to run and get him a large brandy.**

"What does he mean by no meals?" McGonagall hissed.

"He didn't mean it!" Rose said quickly.

"He was bluffing!" Harry said at the same time.

Snape narrowed his eyes at them. They were lying, he knew it. An abused child can spot another a mile off.

**Harry and Rose laid in their dark cupboard much later, Harry wishing he had a watch. He didn't know what time it was and he couldn't be sure the Dursleys were asleep yet. Until they were, he and Rose couldn't risk sneaking to the kitchen for some food.**

"So that's how you two are so good in sneaking around." Ron mused and the Potter twins smirked.

**They have lived with the Dursleys almost ten years, ten miserable years**

Dumbledore winced. He should have listened to Minerva.

**, as long as they could remember, ever since they were babies and their parents had died in that car crash. They couldn't remember being in the car when their parents had died.**

"Because it wasn't a car crash." said Professor Flitwick.

**Sometimes, when they strained their memories during long hours in their cupboard, Harry came up with a strange vision: a blinding flash of green light and a burning pain on his forehead.**

Everyone fell silent.

"You-you remember that?" Madam Hooch stuttered.

**Rose's wasn't any better. Besides the flash of green light, she could hear someone screaming. It sounded like a woman screaming.**

"W-what?" Madam Pomfrey gasped

"You remember that?" Neville said looking down at the girl who's head was on his shoulder.

**Her nightmares seemed to exaggerate this, giving the voice a body who looked just like her. **

"Oh Merlin." Mrs Weasley said looking at her second daughter.

**This, they supposed, was the crash, though they couldn't imagine where all the green light came from.**

More growls.

**They couldn't remember their parents at all. Their aunt and uncle never spoke about them, and of course they were forbidden to ask questions.**

The Ravenclaws scowled 'How will you learn!'.

**There were no photographs of them in the house.**

**When he had been younger, Harry had dreamed and dreamed of some unknown relation coming to take them away, but it had never happened; the Dursleys were their only family.**

"That's not true." said Hermione.

"Yeah, mate. You've got us." Ron added.

"And mum already considers you two family." Ginny nodded.

"My mum loves you." Mandy told them.

**Yet sometimes they thought (or maybe hoped) that strangers in the street seemed to know them. Very strange strangers they were, too. A tiny man in a violet top hat had bowed to Harry once while out shopping with Aunt Petunia and Dudley.**

Ginny snickered and Harry stuck out his tongue at her, making her blush.

**After asking Harry furiously if he knew the man, Aunt Petunia had rushed them out of the shop without buying anything. A wild-looking old woman dressed all in green had waved merrily at Rose once on a bus. A bald man in a very long purple coat had actually shaken their hands in the street the other day and then walked away without a word. The weirdest thing about all these people was the way they seemed to vanish the second wither Harry or Rose tried to get a closer look.**

"Apparition." Hermione and Mandy said.

"We know that now." Harry and Rose pointed out.

**At school, the twins had no one but each other, what with Jess going Stonewall already. Everybody knew that Dudley's gang hated that odd Harry Potter in his baggy old clothes and broken glasses, or Rose with Dyslexia and smart remarks, and nobody liked to disagree with Dudley's gang.**

"I do." Chorused the children of the circle


	4. Letters From No-one

"I'll read" Remus volentered. "**The**** Letters From No One**," He read out.

******The escape of the Brazilian boa constrictor earned the twins their longest-ever punishment. By the time they were allowed out of their cupboard again, the ****summer holidays******** had started**

"And when is Dudley's birthday?" Hermione demanded.

Harry and Rose shared a look from where they sat.

"When is his birthday?" Hermione asked louder. By now, everyone was listening.

"June 23rd" Rose reluctantly answered and Neville stiffened beside her.

"A month." he muttered."They kept you in there for a MONTH?" he practically snarled and tightened his grip on her a little too much. Rose winced.

"Neville, you're hurting me." she whisperer. He instantly loosened his grip.

"I'm sorry." he whispered, knowing she was letting him know with out telling the others, mainly Harry, who would probably have a go at Neville for hurting his baby sister.

******and Dudley had already broken his new video camera, crashed his remote control airplane, and, first time out on his racing bike, knocked down old Mrs. Figg as she crossed Privet Drive on her crutches.**

Professor McGonagall huffed angrily. He was a horrible child.

******The twins glad school was over, but there was no escaping Dudley's gang, who visited the house every single day. Piers, Dennis, Malcolm, and Gordon were all big and stupid, but as Dudley was the biggest and stupidest of the lot, he was the leader.**

"Interesting logic..." Snape drawled

"Well... its Malfoy's gang with …" Harry started.

"Crabbe" Rose told him

"Crabbe as the leader" he finished

******The rest of them were all quite happy to join in Dudley's favorite sport: Potter Hunting.**

There were a few growls in the Hall.

Snape clenched his jaw. This reminded him too much of his own childhood.

******This was why Harry and Rose spent as much time as possible out of the house, wandering around and thinking about the end of the********holidays********, where they could see a tiny ray of hope. When September came they would be going off to secondary school together and, for the first time in their lives, they wouldn't be with Dudley. Dudley had been accepted at Uncle Vernon's old********private school********, Smeltings.**

Those in the circle laughed.

******Piers Polkiss was going there too. The twins, on the other hand, were going to Stonewall High, the local public school. Dudley thought this was very funny.**

"These people have no sense of humour." George said, visibly upset.

"No sense of sarcasm either." Fred complained.

"******They stuff people's heads down the toilet the first day at Stonewall," he told the twins. "Want to come upstairs and practice?"**

"******No, thanks," said Harry.**

******"The poor toilet's never had anything as horrible as your head down it — " said Rose.**

******"It might be sick." They finished.**

People busted out laughing, while a Charlie looked at the twins amusedly.

"Even when you insult someone - you finish each other's sentences." he said as he shook his head, but grinned nevertheless.

******Then they ran, before Dudley could work out what they'd said.**

"Really Potter? Running?" Pansy sneered. "I thought Gryffindors were supposed to be brave."

"Shut it, Parkinson." Rose growled. "And in case you haven't noticed, I'm wearing a Blue tie."

******One day in July, Aunt Petunia took Dudley to London to buy his Smeltings uniform, leaving the ********twins at Mrs. Figg's. Mrs. Figg wasn't as bad as usual. It turned out she'd broken her leg ********tripping over one of her cats, and she didn't seem quite as fond of them as before.**

"Bloody cats..." Rose muttered, and Ginny and Hermione reached across Harry and Neville and smacked her arm.

"Ow! Stop it! What was that for Ginny? Hermione I could understand but you?"

"I happen to LOVE cats!"

******She let Harry watch television and gave Rose a bit of chocolate cake that tasted as though she'd had it for several years.**

Rose gagged and Harry snickered,While Remus frowned.

******That evening, Dudley paraded around the living room for the family in his brand-new uniform. Smeltings' boys wore maroon tailcoats, orange knickerbockers**

Lavender and Parvarti looked ill at the description.

******, and flat straw hats called boaters.**

While the Weasley twins and Lee Jordan were having laughing fits.

******They also carried knobbly sticks, used for hitting each other while the teachers weren't looking. This was supposed to be good training for later life.**

"How is that supposed to be good training?" Madam Pomfrey sniffed.

"How is hexing each other behind teachers backs good training?" Ron asked.

"Training for those who get hit." Malfoy said causing few to glare at him and the rest confused but Rose nodded.

"Every enemy won't go around going 'You ready? Every one ready? Good 1,2,3 Go!' are they? There gunna sneak up behind you and attack silently." Rose said causing everyone to become silent.

******As he looked at Dudley in his new knickerbockers, Uncle Vernon said gruffly that it was the********proudest moment of his life. Aunt Petunia burst into tears and said she couldn't believe it was her Ickle Dudleykins**

More snickers from the circle.

******, he looked so handsome and grown-up. Harry didn't trust himself to speak. He thought two of his ribs might already have cracked from trying not to laugh. Rose even bit her lip to prevent the grin threatening to grace her features.**

The twins had no such restraints now, and both burst into fits of laughter.

"He-he looked ridiculous!" Harry gasped. Rose couldn't speak, she just kept laughing.

A few people snickered at them.

******There was a horrible smell in the kitchen the next morning when Harry and Rose went in for breakfast. It seemed to be coming from a large metal tub in the sink. Harry went to have a look. The tub was full of what looked like dirty rags swimming in gray water.**

"******What's this?" he asked Aunt Petunia. Her lips tightened as they always did if he dared to ask a question.**

"******Your new school uniform," she said.**

******Rose scrunched her nose at the horrid smell. Harry looked in the bowl again.**

"******Oh," he said, "I didn't realize it had to be so wet."**

People laughed.

******"Or so hideous." Rose added in her head.**

People laughed harder.

"******Don't be stupid," snapped Aunt Petunia. "I'm dyeing some of Dudley's old things gray for you. It'll look just like everyone else's when I've finished."**

"For some reason, I doubt that," Ginny scoffed.

******Harry seriously doubted this**

Harry and Ginny blushed and Rose flashed her brother a smug grin.

_'You so like her'_

_'Shut up!'_

******, but thought it best not to argue.**

******He sat down at the table and tried not to think about how he and Rose were going to look on their first day at Stonewall High — like they were wearing bits of old elephant skin, probably.**

Ron cast a sympathetic look at his best friend.

******Dudley and Uncle Vernon came in, both with wrinkled noses because of the smell from the twins' new uniform. Uncle Vernon opened his newspaper as usual and Dudley banged his Smelting stick, which he carried everywhere, on the table.**

"I just realized something." said Lee.

"W'at?" Fleur asked.

"He bangs his stick." Lee grinned.

Most boys grinned, the girls looked disgusted and Fleur whacked him in the shoulder.

"Dizguzting!"

******They heard the click of the mail slot and flop of letters on the doormat.**

"******Get the mail, Dudley," said Uncle Vernon from behind his paper.**

'"They made the blob of fat actually do something?" Mandy mock gasped.

People snickered.

"******Make Harry get it."**

"Oh"

"******Get the mail, Harry."**

"******Make Dudley get it."**

"******Poke him with your Smelting stick, Dudley."**

******Harry dodged the Smelting stick and went to get the mail. Three things lay on the doormat: a postcard from Uncle Vernon's sister Marge, who was vacationing on the Isle of Wight, a brown envelope that looked like a bill, and — **_****__**a letter for Harry and Rose**_******.**

******Harry picked it up and stared at it, his heart twanging like a giant elastic band. No one, ever, in their whole lives, had written to them. Who would?**

"Ginny would."

"Neville would." were the murmurs along the Gryffindores both I the circle and the rest of the hall..

Ginny was as red as her hair.

******They had no friends, no other relatives — they didn't belong to the library, so they'd never even got rude notes asking for books back. Yet here it was, a letter, addressed so plainly there could be no mistake:**

**__****Mr. H. Potter**

**__****The Cupboard under the Stairs**

**__****4 Privet Drive**

**__****Little Whinging**

**__****Surrey**

******The envelope was thick and heavy, made of yellowish parchment, and the address was written in emerald-green ink. There was no stamp.**

******Turning the envelope over, his hand trembling, Harry saw a purple wax seal bearing a coat of arms; a lion**

The Gryffindors cheered.

******, an eagle**

"Ravenclaw!" yelled Rose and the Ravenclaws.

******, a badger**

The Hufflepuffs cheered.

******, and a snake**

Absolute silence.

"Oh come on!" Rose whined, "Where's your house spirit?" and people laughed.

******surrounding a large letter **_****__**H**_******.**

"Hogwarts!"

"******Hurry up, boy!" shouted Uncle Vernon from the kitchen. "What are you doing, checking for letter bombs?" He chuckled at his own joke.**

"Dear Merlin" Fred face palmed and George mock gasped.

"He murdered comedy!" he cried dramatically. Cue laughs.

******Harry went back to the kitchen, still staring at his letter. He handed Uncle Vernon the bill and the postcard, sat down, and slowly began to open the yellow envelope. Rose saw and quickly rushed to his side and Harry handed her the letter addressed to her.**

___**Ms. R. Potter**_

**__****The Cupboard under the Stairs**

**__****4 Privet Drive**

**__****Little Whinging**

**__****Surrey**

******Uncle Vernon ripped open the bill, snorted in disgust, and flipped over the postcard.**

"******Marge's ill," he informed Aunt Petunia. "Ate a funny whelk…"**

The twins snorted.

"******Dad!" said Dudley suddenly. "Dad, Harry and Rose's got something!"**

"I'm going to murder that brat." hissed Ginny.

******Harry was on the point of unfolding his letter, which was written on the same heavy parchment as the envelope, when it was jerked sharply out of his hand by Uncle Vernon.**

"Oi!" yelled Victor.

******Rose had already opened it, and managed to catch the words: ****____****Hogwarts******** and ****____****witchcraft******** before the letter was snatched from her.**

"You got more than I did, though." said Harry.

******"Hey, give it back!" cried Rose as she reached for it.**

******"That's ****____****ours********!"said Harry, trying to snatch it back.**

"******Who'd be writing to you?" sneered Uncle Vernon, shaking the letter open with one hand and glancing at it. His face went from red to green faster than a set of traffic lights. And it didn't stop there. Within seconds it was the grayish white of old porridge.**

The twins laughed again as they remembered how their uncle had looked.

"******P-P-Petunia!" he gasped.**

******Dudley tried to grab the letter to read it, but Uncle Vernon held it high out of his reach. Aunt Petunia took it curiously and read the first line. For a moment it looked as though she might faint. She clutched her throat and made a choking noise.**

"******Vernon! Oh my goodness — Vernon!"**

"Drama Queen." muttered Malfoy. Unfortunately, the twins heard.

"Look who's talking." Harry retorted.

Rose pretended to clear her throat and made her voice a few pitched higher. "Oh no, it's killed me! My father will hear about this!" she said and pretended to faint in Neville's arms, the latter chuckling as he caught her.

Malfoy rolled his eyes at her. "I don't sound like that."

"Yea, you do." ¾ of the hall told him.

******They stared at each other, seeming to have forgotten that the twins and Dudley were still in the room. Dudley wasn't used to being ignored.**

"Poor Duddykins." muttered Ginny bitterly.

******He gave his father a sharp tap on the head with his Smelting stick.**

"No! Don't make him lose any more brain cells!" Mandy yelled, and people laughed.

"******I want to read that letter," he said loudly**.

"He doesn't have the right to!" hissed Hermione.

******"You don't have the right to!" Rose yelled at her cousin angrily.**

Rose and Hermione shared smirks.

******"****____****We ********want to read it," said Harry furiously, "as it's ****____****ours********."**

"Ah the Potter temper." mused Remus, taking a pause in his reading.

Ron turned to Harry and Rose. "Something you both strongly have in common."

"Are you scared?" Rose teased.

"Is it that bad? I find it rather amusing." said Neville and a few other people from all houses snorted.

"Mate," said Fred. "You've never been on the receiving end of their tempers, have you?"

Neville shook his head.

"I haven't either." Mandy said.

"It's worse than Ginny's Bat-Bogey hex." Remus shuddered.

"******Get out, all of you," croaked Uncle Vernon, stuffing the letter back inside its envelope.**

******The twins didn't move.**

"Any second now." muttered Ron.

"******WE WANT OUR LETTERS!" they shouted.**

Most people who have been on the receiving end, especially those who have been hexed by Rose, shuddered.

"******Let **_****__**me **_******see it!" demanded Dudley.**

"******OUT!" roared Uncle Vernon, and he took both Harry and Dudley by the scruffs of their necks and threw them into the hall, while Aunt Petunia grabbed Rose's arm and threw her out the room**

Many people snarled at the book in Remus' hands, who pretended to ignore the scathing glares that were sent at his/ the book.

******, slamming the kitchen door behind them. Harry and Dudley promptly had a furious but silent fight over who would listen at the keyhole; Dudley won, so Harry, his glasses dangling from one ear, lay flat on his stomach to listen at the crack between door and floor.**

"Scrawny git." said Ron.

******Rose rolled her eyes at them,**

Remus was strongly reminded of Lily.

******and stood on a chair to see from the top of the door.**

"Why didn't I think of that?"

"Because you're stupid."

"******Vernon," Aunt Petunia was saying in a quivering voice, "look at the address — how could they possibly know where he sleeps? You don't think they're watching the house?"**

"Paranoid." snickered Angelina.

"******Watching — spying — might be following us," muttered Uncle Vernon wildly.**

"Oh please," said Mandy. "We have better things to do than watch boring muggles."

******"Who on earth would spy on these boring twats?" Rose whispered**

"Exactly!"

******and Harry tried to stop the grin that threatened to show.**

"******But what should we do, Vernon? Should we write back? Tell them we don't want —"**

******Harry could see Uncle Vernon's shiny black shoes pacing up and down the kitchen.**

"******No," he said finally. "No, we'll ignore it. If they don't get an answer… Yes, that's best… we won't do anything…"**

"Not going to work!" Fred and George sang.

"******But —"**

"******I'm not having one in the house, Petunia! Didn't we swear when we took him in we'd stamp out that dangerous nonsense?"**

There was an eerie silence in the Hall.

"___Stamp. Out?_" Hermione snarled.

"What did they mean by that?" McGonagall demanded as she stared at the twins fidgeting uncomfortably on the floor.

"Nothing." Harry muttered.

"Do they hit you, Potter?" hissed Snape.

When neither answered, Mrs. Weasley rounded on Dumbledore.

"How could you not know about this?" she yelled. "The best place for them, you said! They are being abused!"

Neville tightened his hold around Rose.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he whispered.

"Never came up." Rose muttered, hiding her head in his shoulder.

******That evening when he got back from work, Uncle Vernon did something he'd never done before; he visited the twins in their cupboard.**

"How did he fit?" Lisa exclaimed.

Rose shook her head with a frown as she tried to remember.

"Good point." she said. "But I think he barely got his head passed though."

"******Where's our letters?" said Harry, the moment Uncle Vernon had squeezed through the door. "Who's writing to us?"**

"******No one. It was addressed to you by mistake," said Uncle Vernon shortly. "I have burned it."**

"Oi!" yelled Lee.

"******It was **_****__**not **_******a mistake," said Rose angrily, "it had our cupboard on it."**

"You tell him!" Lee cheered.

"******SILENCE!" yelled Uncle Vernon, and a couple of spiders fell from the ceiling.**

Ron and Rose shuddered.

******He took a few deep breaths and then forced his face into a smile, which looked quite painful.**

"Hope it was," said Ginny scathingly.

"******Er — yes, you two — about this cupboard. Your aunt and I have been thinking… you're really getting a bit big for it… we think it might be nice if you moved into Dudley's second bedroom.**

More silence.

"___Second. bedroom?_" McGonagall snarled.

Snape scooted away from her.

"******Why?" said Harry.**

"Vy vere y'u queztioning it?" asked Victor.

"We were suspicious." answered Rose.

"It's not everyday they do something nice, so there had to be a catch." said Harry.

"******Don't ask questions!" snapped their uncle. "Take this stuff upstairs, now."**

******The Dursleys' house had four bedrooms:**

There seemed to be an uproar in the circle, and the twins tried to calm down their friends.

Snape sat with his jaw clenched.

******one for Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia, one for visitors (usually Uncle Vernon's sister, Marge), one where Dudley slept, and one where Dudley kept all the toys and things that wouldn't fit into his first bedroom.**

"___Two. bedrooms..._" McGonagall and Mrs. Weasley hissed.

******It only took the twins one trip upstairs to move everything they owned from the cupboard to this room.**

Ron glanced at the twins guiltily. He had complained so many times about his hand me down belongings, when the twins never did.

******They sat down on the bed and stared around. Nearly everything in here was broken. The month-old video camera was lying on top of a small, working tank Dudley had once driven over the next door neighbor's dog; in the corner was Dudley's first-ever television set, which he'd put his foot through when his favorite program had been canceled; there was a large birdcage, which had once held a parrot that Dudley had swapped at school for a real air rifle, which was up on a shelf with the end all bent because Dudley had sat on it.**

"He's that big?" Lisa asked.

******Other shelves were full of books. They were the only things in the room that looked as though they'd never been touched, and Rose was happy to read each one of them.**

"Merlin..." Fred and George groaned "We've lost her."

"Oh shut up!" Rose said.

******From downstairs came the sound of Dudley bawling at his mother, "I don't **_****__**want **_******them in there… I **_****__**need **_******that room**

"No, he does not!" Ron snarled.

… ******make them get out…"**

******Harry sighed and stretched out on the bed. Yesterday he'd have given anything to be up here. Today he'd rather be back in his cupboard with that letter than up here without it.**

******Rose on the other hand sat up, confused. What was Hogwarts? And what did it have to with witchcraft?**

"No fair! You were already piecing it together!" Harry whined.

**Surely (guessing the letter was real) that meant she was a witch. Making her brother a wizard. Now she just hoped that they sent another letter so she could make sure.**

"Scratch that... No fair! You already pieced it together!" Harry whined.

******Next morning at breakfast, everyone was rather quiet. Dudley was in shock.**

'"Good," said Madam Pomfrey approvingly.

******He'd screamed, whacked his father with his Smelting stick**

"Horrible!" huffed Professor Sprout.

******, been sick on purpose, kicked his mother**

"Argh!" said Lavender.

******, and thrown his tortoise through the greenhouse roof, and he still didn't have his room back.**

"Good." Ginny snarled.

******Harry was thinking about this time yesterday and bitterly wishing he'd opened the letter in the hall, while Rose wished she had read it faster. Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia kept looking at each other darkly.**

******When the mail arrived, Uncle Vernon, who seemed to be trying to be nice to the twins, made Dudley go and get it.**

"More like making sure they never get their letter." muttered Hermione.

******They heard him banging things with his Smelting stick all the way down the hall. Then he shouted, "There's another one! 'Ms. R. Potter, The Smallest Bedroom, 4 Privet Drive —'"**

"If he wanted to read it, why did he say that?" asked Luna, and they were mutters around the Hall.

******With a strangled cry, Uncle Vernon leapt from his seat and ran down the hall, Harry and Rose right behind him. Uncle Vernon had to wrestle Dudley to the ground to get the letter from him, which was made difficult by the fact that Harry had grabbed Uncle Vernon around the neck from behind and Rose attempted to reach for the letter while their uncle was distracted.**

The famous quartet burst into peals of laughter.

"I see you had practice mate!" Ron gasped.

Harry laughed harder. "The neck was the same size too."

Rose and Hermione kept on laughing while others in the Hall just looked confused.

******After a minute of confused fighting, in which everyone got hit a lot by the Smelting stick, Uncle Vernon straightened up, gasping for breath, with Harry's letter clutched in his hand.**

"******Go to your cupboard — I mean, your bedroom," he wheezed at Harry. "Dudley — go — just go."**

More laughter.

******Harry walked round and round his new room, while Rose sat on the bed, reading. Someone knew they had moved out of their cupboard and they seemed to know they hadn't received their first letters. Surely that meant they'd try again? And this time Harry'd make sure they didn't fail. He had a plan.**

"Oh no." Ron said as he buried his face in his hands.

"What wrong with my plans?" Harry pouted

"No offense Harry but - " Hermione was cut off.

"You work better under pressure, little brother."

******As soon as he had told Rose about it, she groaned and protested.**

******"Whatever you're planning this time, leave me out of it." she said, flipping the page of the book she was reading.**

Harry huffed. "Some twin you are, Rose."

Rose rolled her eyes but grinned.

******The repaired alarm clock rang at six o'clock the next morning. Harry turned it off quickly and dressed silently. He mustn't wake the Dursleys. He stole downstairs without turning on any of the lights.**

******He was going to wait for the postman on the corner of Privet Drive and get the letters for number four first. His heart hammered as he crept across the dark hall toward the front door —**

"Hypothetically speaking, that is a pretty good plan." said Luna.

"******AAAAARRRGH!"**

******Harry leapt into the air; he'd trodden on something big and squashy on the doormat — something **_****__**alive**_******!**

******Lights clicked on upstairs and to his horror Harry realized that the big, squashy something had been his uncle's face.**

People, both inside and out side the circle, burst out laughing.

******Rose had heard their uncle scream, and quickly pulled Harry back upstairs before their uncle could yell at him.**

"You have brilliant danger sense, you know that?" said Ron.

"You would have been spider food if I didn't."

******"What happened?" she asked. Harry explained his previous plan and what just occurred.**

******"Yes! Payback!" Rose cheered, and Harry chuckled at her antics.**

So did the rest of the hall.

******Uncle Vernon had been lying at the foot of the front door in a sleeping bag, clearly making sure that Harry didn't do exactly what he'd been trying to do. He went up to the twins' room and shouted at Harry for about half an hour and then told him to go and make a cup of tea. Harry shuffled miserably off into the kitchen - Rose following - and by the time he got back, the mail had arrived, right into Uncle Vernon's lap. Harry could see three letters addressed in ********green ink.**

"******I want —" he began, but Uncle Vernon was tearing the letters into pieces before his eyes.**

"Git." Ron hissed.

******Uncle Vernon didn't go to work that day. He stayed at home and nailed up the mail slot.**

"******See," he explained to Aunt Petunia through a mouthful of nails, "if they can't **_****__**deliver **_******them they'll just give up."**

"******I'm not sure that'll work, Vernon."**

"For once, she speaks sense." drawled Snape.

"******Oh, these people's minds work in strange ways, Petunia, they're not like you and me," said Uncle Vernon, trying to knock in a nail with the piece of fruitcake Aunt Petunia had just brought him.**

"Thank Merlin for that." sneered Malfoy.

******On Friday, no less than twelve letters arrived for the twins. As they couldn't go through the mail slot they had been pushed under the door, slotted through the sides, and a few even forced through the small window in the downstairs bathroom.**

******Uncle Vernon stayed at home again. After burning all the letters, he got out a hammer and nails and boarded up the cracks around the front and back doors so no one could go out. He hummed "Tiptoe Through the Tulips" as he worked, and jumped at small noises.**

"Paranoid!" Fred and George sang.

******On Saturday, things began to get out of hand. Twenty-four letters to the twins found their way into the house, rolled up and hidden inside each of the two dozen eggs that their very confused milkman had handed Aunt Petunia through the living room window.**

The twins snorted.

******While Uncle Vernon made furious telephone calls to the post office and the dairy trying to find someone to complain to, Aunt Petunia shredded the letters in her food processor.**

"******Who on earth wants to talk to **_****__**you **_******this badly?" Dudley asked Rose in amazement.**

"Loads of people!" said Lee.

"Like Ginny."

"And Neville." A few people snickered.

******On Sunday morning, Uncle Vernon sat down at the breakfast table looking tired and rather ill, but happy.**

"That's never a good sign." Sighed Rose.

"******No post on Sundays," he reminded them cheerfully as he spread marmalade on his newspapers**

Hermione snorted. "Marmalade on newspapers? Wonder what that tastes like."

******, "no damn letters today —"**

"Stupid muggle." sneered Mandy.

******Something came whizzing down the kitchen chimney as he spoke and caught him sharply on the back of the head.**

******Next moment, thirty or forty letters came pelting out of the fireplace like bullets.**

"Bloody brilliant." Seamus said, grinning over at the circle from his olace on the floor.

******The Dursleys ducked, but Harry leapt into the air trying to catch one —**

"Born seeker." Angelina smiled from her seat opposite Seamus.

******While Rose quickly picked up a letter from the floor and hid it under her jumper avoiding her Aunt and Uncle's view.**

"Chaser." Blaise said proudly.

******"Out! OUT!"**

******Uncle Vernon seized Harry and Rose around their waists and threw them into the hall.**

Growls ripped through the Hall, minus the Slytherins.

******When Aunt Petunia and Dudley had run out with their arms over their faces, Uncle Vernon slammed the door shut. They could hear the letters still streaming into the room, bouncing off the walls and floor.**

"******That does it," said Uncle Vernon, trying to speak calmly but pulling great tufts out of his mustache at the same time.**

"Idiot." sneered Snape.

"******I want you all back here in five minutes ready to leave. We're going away. Just pack some ********clothes. No arguments!"**

******He looked so dangerous with half his mustache missing that no one dared argue.**

Harry and Rose busted out laughing. Their uncle had looked absolutely ridiculous.

******Ten minutes later they had wrenched their way through the boarded-up doors and were in the car, speeding toward the highway. Dudley was sniffling in the back seat; his father had hit him round the head for holding them up while he tried to pack his television, VCR, and computer in his sports bag.**

******They drove. And they drove. Even Aunt Petunia didn't dare ask where they were going. Every now and then Uncle Vernon would take a sharp turn and drive in the opposite direction for a while.**

"******Shake 'em off… shake 'em off," he would mutter whenever he did this.**

"Merlin, he's really lost it." Neville said with a shake of his head.

"Can't lose what you never had, Nev." snickered Rose and Neville grinned.

"True."

******They didn't stop to eat or drink all day.**

Madam Pomfrey scowled, and glanced at the twins. They were much too skinny for their age.

******By nightfall Dudley was howling. He'd never had such a bad day in his life.**

"Welcome to Harry and Rose's life." hissed Alicia.

******He was hungry, he'd missed five television programs he'd wanted to see, and he'd never gone so long without blowing up an alien on his computer.**

******Uncle Vernon stopped at last outside a gloomy-looking hotel on the outskirts of a big city. Dudley and the twins shared a room with twin beds and damp, musty sheets. Dudley snored but Harry and Rose stayed awake, sitting on opposite sides of the windowsill, staring down at the lights of passing cars and wondering…**

"Wondering about what?" asked Dean.

"What was going on at the time." said Harry.

"What when Harry was going to go to bed so I could read the letter." said Rose, making Harry pout.

******They ate stale cornflakes and cold tinned tomatoes on toast for breakfast the next day.**

Ron and Mandy looked scandalized. "That's not breakfast!"

******They had just finished when the owner of the hotel came over to their table.**

"'******Scuse me, but is any of you Mr. H. Potter or Ms. R. Potter? Only I got about an 'undred of these at the front desk."**

******She held up a letter so they could read the green ink address:**

**__****Mr. H. Potter**

**__****Room 17**

**__****Railview Hotel**

**__****Cokeworth**

******And the other one read:**

**__****Ms. R. Potter**

**__****Room 17**

**__****Railview Hotel**

**__****Cokeworth**

******Harry made a grab for the letter but Uncle Vernon knocked his hand out of the way.**

"Git." said George and began to scribble down on a piece of parchment, with Fred looking over his shoulder.

******The woman stared.**

"******I'll take them," said Uncle Vernon, standing up quickly and following her from the dining room.**

"******Wouldn't it be better just to go home, dear?" Aunt Petunia suggested timidly, hours later, but Uncle Vernon didn't seem to hear her.**

******Exactly what he was looking for, none of them knew. He drove them into the middle of a forest, got out, looked around, shook his head, got back in the car, and off they went again. The same thing happened in the middle of a plowed field, halfway across a suspension bridge, and at the top of a multilevel parking garage.**

"******Daddy's gone mad, hasn't he?" Dudley asked Aunt Petunia dully late that afternoon.**

"He's probably off his rocker if his dimwitted son could sense it." mused Cho.

******Uncle Vernon had parked at the coast, locked them all inside the car, and disappeared.**

******It started to rain. Great drops beat on the roof of the car. Dudley snivelled.**

"******It's Monday," he told his mother. "The Great Humberto's on tonight. I want to stay somewhere with a **_****__**television**_******."**

******Monday. This reminded Harry of something. If it **_****__**was **_******Monday — and you could usually count on Dudley to know the days the week, because of television — then tomorrow, Tuesday, was Harry and Rose's eleventh birthday.**

"Happy Birthday!" yelled Fred and George.

Rose giggled and Harry just shook his head.

******Of course, their birthdays were never exactly fun — last year, the Dursleys had given them a coat hanger and a pair of Uncle Vernon's old socks.**

George was scribbling on his parchment again.

******Still, you weren't eleven every day.**

******Uncle Vernon was back and he was smiling.**

"Again, never a good sign." muttered Harry.

******He was also carrying a long, thin package and didn't answer Aunt Petunia when she asked what he'd bought.**

"******Found the perfect place!" he said. "Come on! Everyone out!"**

******It was very cold outside the car. Uncle Vernon was pointing at what looked like a large rock way out at sea. Perched on top of the rock was the most miserable little shack you could imagine. One thing was certain, there was no television in there.**

"******Storm forecast for tonight!" said Uncle Vernon gleefully, clapping his hands together. "And this gentleman's kindly agreed to lend us his boat!"**

******A toothless old man came ambling up to them, pointing, with a rather wicked grin, at an old rowboat bobbing in the iron-gray water below them.**

"******I've already got us some rations," said Uncle Vernon, "so all aboard!"**

******It was freezing in the boat. Icy sea spray and rain crept down their necks and a chilly wind ********whipped their faces.**

McGonagall scowled even more.

******After what seemed like hours they reached the rock, where Uncle Vernon, slipping and sliding, led the way to the broken-down house.**

******The inside was horrible; it smelled strongly of seaweed, the wind whistled through the gaps in the wooden walls, and the fireplace was damp and empty. There were only two rooms.**

******Uncle Vernon's rations turned out to be a bag of chips each and four bananas.**

"Those aren't rations!" snarled Madam Pomfrey.

******He tried to start a fire but the empty chip bags just smoked and shriveled up.**

"******Could do with some of those letters now, eh?" he said cheerfully.**

******He was in a very good mood. Obviously he thought nobody stood a chance of reaching them here in a storm to deliver mail. Harry privately agreed, though the thought didn't cheer him up at all.**

"Such a pessimist." said Ginny.

******As night fell, the promised storm blew up around them. Spray from the high waves splattered the walls of the hut and a fierce wind rattled the filthy windows. Aunt Petunia found a few moldy blankets in the second room and made up a bed for Dudley on the moth-eaten sofa. She and Uncle Vernon went off to the lumpy bed next door, and the twins were left to find the softest bit of floor they could and to curl up under the thinnest, most ragged blanket.**

******The storm raged more and more ferociously as the night went on. Harry nor Rose couldn't sleep. They shivered and turned over, trying to get comfortable, stomachs rumbling with hunger.**

More growls.

******Dudley's snores were drowned by the low rolls of thunder that started near midnight. The lighted dial of Dudley's watch, which was dangling over the edge of the sofa on his fat wrist, told Harry he'd be eleven in ten minutes' time. He lay and watched his birthday tick nearer, wondering if the Dursleys would remember at all, wondering where the letter writer was now.**

******Five minutes to go. Harry heard something creak outside. He hoped the roof wasn't going to fall in, although he might be warmer if it did.**

Rose looked at her brother strangely.

******Four minutes to go. Maybe the house in Privet Drive would be so full of letters when they got back that he'd be able to steal one somehow.**

******Three minutes to go. Was that the sea, slapping hard on the rock like that? And (two minutes to go) what was that funny crunching noise? Was the rock crumbling into the sea?**

******One minute to go and they'd be eleven. Thirty seconds… twenty… ten… nine — maybe they'd wake Dudley up, just to annoy him**

"DO IT!" yelled the Weasley twins and Lee.

— ******three… two… one…**

******"Happy Birthday Harry" Rose whispered.**

******"Happy Birthday Rose." Harry smiled.**

******BOOM.**

"What?"

******The whole shack shivered and the twins bolted upright, staring at the door. Someone was outside, knocking to come in.**


	5. Keeper Of The Keys

I know I mentioned that Hagrid was there in the first chapter but then I re-read my story and noticed that it didn't fit into the time schedule so imagine that never happened.

* * *

"One more chapter before lunch I think." Dumbledore said looking at his watch, "Who wants to read?"

"I will." Harry said. Dumbledore nodded and levitated the book over to Harry.

******The Keeper of the Keys**,

******BOOM. **

"Cub, please don't shout." Remus asked rubbing his head.

"It's in capitals. I have to." Harry said smiling innocently up at him.

******They knocked again. Dudley jerked awake.**

"******Where's the cannon?" he said stupidly.**

"And what was the difference?"asked George.

******There was a crash behind them and Uncle Vernon came skidding into the room. He was holding a rifle in his hands – now they knew what had been in the long, thin package he had brought with them.**

"He brought a GUN!" snarled Hermione.

"Muggle weapon," Rose said before any the Purebloods could ask.

"******Who's there?" he shouted. "I warn you — I'm armed!"**

"We all are." Ron said

"It means he has a weapon." said Hermione.

Neville laughed, "What do you think our wands are?" making Rose giggle.

******There was a pause. Then —**

******SMASH!**

Remus groaned and rubbed his head.

******The door was hit with such force that it swung clean off its hinges and with a deafening crash landed flat on the floor.**

"Wow he knocks hard." Lee said impressed.

******A giant of a man was standing in the doorway. His face was almost completely hidden by a long, shaggy mane of hair and a wild, tangled beard, but you could make out his eyes, glinting like black beetles under all the hair.**

Three out of four houses cheered, while Umbridge scowled. The circle cheering the loudest.

******The giant squeezed his way into the hut, stooping so that his head just brushed the ceiling. He bent down, picked up the door, and fitted it easily back into its frame. The noise of the storm outside dropped a little. He turned to look at them all.**

"******Couldn't make us a cup ********o'********tea****,******** could yeh? It's not been an easy journey…"**

"That's Hagrid." George cried

******He strode over to the sofa where Dudley sat frozen with fear.**

"******Budge up, yeh great lump," said the stranger.**

More cheers.

******Dudley squeaked and ran to hide behind his mother,**

"And that worked how?" Ron asked,

"Wait for it!" Rose replied.

******who was crouching, terrified, behind Uncle Vernon.**

"Ohh!" the children in the circle except Harry and Rose cried.

"******An' here's Harry an' R'se!" said the giant.**

******The twins looked up into the fierce, wild, shadowy face and saw that the********beetle********eyes were crinkled in a smile.**

"******Las' time I saw you two, you was only a baby," said the giant. "Yeh look like yer dad, but yeh've got yer mum's eyes. An' o'course R'se has yer mum's hair."**

"It's quite strange because it is just your eyes, and your hair Rose, that makes you look different from James." Remus said.

******Uncle Vernon made a funny rasping noise.**

"******I demand that you leave at once, sir!" he said. "You are breaking and entering!"**

"Literally!" Harry, Rose, Lisa, Mandy and Hermione snorted

"******Ah, shut up, Dursley, yeh great prune," said the giant; he reached over the back of the sofa, jerked the gun out of Uncle Vernon's hands, bent it into a knot as easily as if it had been made of rubber, and threw it into a corner of the room.**

Hermione's face was one of pure shock.

******Uncle Vernon made another funny noise, like a mouse being trodden on.**

"******Anyway — Harry, R'se" said the giant, turning his back on the Dursleys, "a very happy birthday to yeh. Got summat fer yeh here — I mighta sat on it at some point, but it'll taste all right."**

"Do not eat it!" all those who had tried Hagrid's cooking cried.

******From an inside pocket of his black overcoat he pulled a slightly squashed box. Rose opened it with trembling fingers. Inside was a large, sticky chocolate cake with **_****__**Happy Birthday Potters **_******written on it in green icing.**

"Tasted all right." Rose said shrugging.

******Harry and Rose shared a look, and looked up at the giant. Harry meant to say thank you, but the words got lost on the way to his mouth, and what he said instead was, "Who are you?"**

"Manners Harry." Remus scolded

**"****Harry!" Rose hit her brother in his arm, "What he meant was thank you." she told the giant.**

The people in the circle and others that knew the twins started laughing

******The giant chuckled.**

"******True, I haven't introduced meself. Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts."**

******He held out an enormous hand and shook Harry's whole arm. **

**"****So it's real then?" Rose asked.**

"**O' course it's real. ********What about that tea then, eh?" he said, rubbing his hands together. "I'd not say no ter summat stronger if yeh've got it, mind."**

"You better not have drank in front them." Mrs. Weasley cried.

******His eyes fell on the empty grate with the shriveled chip bags in it and he snorted. He bent down over the fireplace; they couldn't see what he was doing but when he drew back a second later, there was a roaring fire there. It filled the whole damp hut with flickering light and Harry felt the warmth wash over him as though he'd sunk into a hot bath.**

Hermione frowned. "Despite not liking how it happened, the feeling is the best."

******The giant sat back down on the sofa, which sagged under his weight, and began taking all sorts of things out of the pockets of his coat: a copper kettle, a squashy package of sausages, a poker, a teapot, several chipped mugs, and a bottle of some amber liquid that he took a swig from before starting to make tea.**

"Don't worry Mrs. Weasley, it's butter beer. I recognised the smell the first time Remus gave us some." Rose said throwing her brother a look, remembering his strange reaction the first time they had it.

**Soon the hut was full of the sound and smell of sizzling sausage.**

"Mmh, Sausages." Ron moaned. Hermione just rolled her eyes.

******Nobody said a thing while the giant was working, but as he slid the first six fat, juicy, slightly burnt sausages from the poker, Dudley fidgeted a little. Uncle Vernon said sharply, "Don't touch anything he gives you, Dudley." The giant chuckled darkly.**

"******Yer great puddin' of a son don' need fattenin' anymore, Dursley, don' worry."**

"Go Hagrid." Tonks cheered.

******He passed the sausages to the twins, who were so hungry they had never tasted anything so wonderful, but they still couldn't take their eyes off the giant. Finally, as nobody seemed about to explain anything, Harry said, "I'm sorry, but I still don't really know who you are."**

"You know it took all I had not to burst out laughing then." Rose said, giggling slightly. Neville pulled his arm tighter. _'_God I love her laugh.'

******The giant took a gulp of tea and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.**

"Ron's manners then." Hermione said while Lisa said "Mandy's manners."

"******Call me Hagrid," he said, "everyone does. An' like I told yeh, I'm Keeper of Keys at Hogwarts — yeh'll know all about Hogwarts, o' course."**

"******Er — no," said Harry, as Rose said "Yes."**

"See. Totally unfair . You figured it out." Harry pouted.

"Sorry Harry, but how would you have felt if I had got your hopes and it turned out to be fake." Rose said and Harry's face turned to one of understanding. He pulled her out of Neville's arms and into his and kissed her temple. It was moments like this that made people believe he was the older twin.

******Hagrid looked shocked.**

"******Sorry," Harry said quickly.**

"You don't need to say sorry." Fleur said. _(A.N. Imagine it in a french accent.)_

"_****__**Sorry**_******?" barked Hagrid, turning to stare at the Dursleys, who shrank back into the shadows. "It's them as should be sorry! I knew yeh weren't gettin' yer letters but I never thought yeh wouldn't even know abou' Hogwarts, fer cryin' out loud! Did yeh never wonder where yer parents learned it all? I guess R'se figured it out."**

"Right there Hagrid." Neville said, poking the girl's side making her squeal before moving further away.

"******All what?" asked Harry looking between Hagrid and Rose**

"It really confused me that you knew what he was talking about."

"******ALL WHAT?" Hagrid thundered. "Now wait jus' one second!"**

"Oh Hagrid's angry." Lee commented rubbing his hands together.

******He had leapt to his feet. In his anger he seemed to fill the whole hut. The Dursleys were cowering against the wall.**

"Actually quite a funny sight." Harry commented.

"******Do you mean ter tell me," he growled at the Dursleys, "that this boy an' girl — these two! — know nothin' abou' — about ANYTHING? I guess it's good R'se 'as her mums brains. Fig'ring it out from nothin'."**

"That's really good Miss. Potter." McGonagall complimented.

******Harry thought this was going a bit far. They had been to school, after all, and their marks weren't bad.**

"Only cause you dumbed them down." Rose said only for Harry stuck his tongue out

******Rose just looked confused. Hagrid knew her parents.**

"Don't say anything." Rose snapped looking at the twins and Lee before moving her gaze to Ron and Harry before moving to Neville before finishing on Victor.

******"We know **_****__**some **_******things," Harry said. "We can, you know, do maths and stuff." **

"What was your favourite subject at primary. Mine was History." Hermione asked.

"Maths." Harry said.

"Science or P.E. I can't decide." Rose said after much silent debate.

"English." Lisa said. "I always wanted to be a journalist when I was younger."

"You can still do that you know." Rose told girl smiling.

"And work for the Daily Prophet?" she shot back.

"You could work at the Quibbler." Luna said sharing looks with Rose. They both loved that magazine.

"Wait. You liked P.E.?" Hermione asked shocked.

"I like dancing." was Rose's simple reply before Harry started reading again.

******But Hagrid simply waved his hand and said, "About **_****__**our **_******world, I mean. **_****__**Your **_******world. **_****__**My **_******world. **_****__**Yer parents' world**_******."**

"Cause that wouldn't confuse me." Harry said sarcastically.

******Yep Hagrid knew their parents.**

Every one in the circle started laughing.

"******What world?"**

******Hagrid looked as if he was about to explode.**

"Run!" The Weasley twins shouted.

"******DURSLEY!" he boomed.**

******Uncle Vernon, who had gone very pale, whispered something that sounded like "Mimblewimble."**

"That's a spell you know." Luna said.

"It's used to turn someone's hair blue-" Mandy said.

"Skin green-" Lisa added,

"And make them unable to speak for a week." Rose finished. Flitwick smiled proudly at the girls. Seems like they were close friends and study buddies.

******Hagrid stared wildly at the twins.**

"******But yeh must know about yer mum and dad," he said. "I mean, they're **_****__**famous**_******. You're **_****__**famous**_******."**

"Unfortunately." Harry mumbled.

"Famous for our parents death. Famous for a mothers Victory." Rose added. Many of the people in the hall looked down in shame. They forgot that the Potter's parents had died that night every time they fanned after them.

"******What? Our — our mum and dad weren't famous, were they?"**

"Notice how they didn't ask about themselves." Charlie said in a loud voice.

"******Yeh don' know… yeh don' know…" Hagrid ran his fingers through his hair, fixing Harry and Rose with a bewildered stare.**

"******Yeh don' know what yeh **_****__**are**_******?" he said finally.**

"Your Newts." George stage-whispered. The Potter twins laughed.

******Uncle Vernon suddenly found his voice.**

"I forgot about him." Bill said

"Ve all ded." Victor sighed.

"******Stop!" he commanded. "Stop right there, sir! I forbid you to tell the children anything!"**

"Like he could stop Hagrid." Luna said.

******A braver man than Vernon Dursley would have quailed under the furious look Hagrid now gave him; when Hagrid spoke, his every syllable trembled with rage.**

"It is about now we should be telling you to run." Fred said

"******You never told 'em? Never told 'em what was in the letter Dumbledore left fer 'em? I was there! I saw Dumbledore leave it, Dursley! An' you've kept it from 'em all these years?"**

"******Kept **_****__**what **_******from us?" said Harry eagerly.**

"I really was trying really hard not to laugh."Rose said off-handly.

******"STOP! I FORBID YOU!" yelled Uncle Vernon in panic.**

"Hes iz stupid." Victor shook his head.

******Aunt Petunia gave a gasp of horror.**

"******Ah, go boil yer heads, both of yeh,**"

"Oh I am so using that." Ron, Fred, George, Charlie and Mandy cried

******said Hagrid. "Harry — yer a wizard. An' R'se - yer a witch."**

"Way to be blunt." Bill snorted

******There was silence inside the hut. Only the sea and the whistling wind could be heard.**

"******I'm a **_****__**what**_******?" gasped Harry.**

******"I already knew." Rose shrugged.**

"Of course YOU did." Tonks poked the girl who was now leaning against her legs.

"******A wizard an' witch, o' course," said Hagrid, sitting back down on the sofa, which groaned and sank even lower, "an' a thumpin' good 'un, I'd say, once yeh've been trained up a bit. With a mum an' dad like yours, what else would yeh be? An' I reckon it's abou' time yeh read yer letter." **

"Finally" the circle sighed.

******Harry stretched out his hand at last to take the yellowish envelope, addressed in emerald green to **_****__**Mr. H. Potter, The Floor, Hut-on-the-Rock, The Sea.**_

"It amazes me how accurate they are." Mr. Weasley said, leaning back in his chair.

******He pulled out the letter and read:**

**__****HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY**

**__****Headmaster: ALBUS DUMBLEDORE**

**__****(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)**

**__****Dear Mr. Potter,**

**__****We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.**

**__****Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31.**

**__****Yours sincerely,**

**__****Minerva McGonagall,**

**__****Deputy Headmistress**

******Rose's read the same thing, except her's read 'Ms. Potter.' She grinned, she was correct.**

"Of course your correct Miss. Potter. You are highest in your year. Followed by Miss. Granger. Who is only 2 marks ahead of your brother." Dumbledore said.

******Questions exploded inside Harry's head like fireworks and he couldn't decide which to ask first. After a few minutes he stammered, "What does it mean, they await my owl?"**

The whole hall burst out laughing. Even Snape, Percy, McGonagall and the Minister managed a smile.

"Hey. It was the last thing I read and it had a time dead line on it. Of course that was gonna be the first thing I asked."

"******Gallopin' Gorgons, that reminds me," said Hagrid, clapping a hand to his forehead with enough force to knock over a cart horse, and from yet another pocket inside his overcoat he pulled an owl — a real, live, rather ruffled-looking owl — a long quill, and a roll of parchment. With his tongue between his teeth he scribbled a note that Harry and Rose could read upside down:**

"How?"

"I barely manage way up."

"Are you super man?"

"Dude, I thought that was impossible." was just a selection of the outbursts.

**__****Dear Professor Dumbledore,**

**__****Given Harry and Rose their letters.**

**__****Rose had already figured it out.**

"Why is everyone mentioning that?" Rose pouted

"Because it is a great achievement. Getting truth out of 2 words." Harry told her

"I might need to borrow you to talk to Ron when he eats." Neville said earning a dirty look from Ron and a giggle from Rose.

**__****Taking them to buy their things tomorrow.**

**__****Weather's horrible. Hope you're well.**

**__****Hagrid**

******Hagrid rolled up the note, gave it to the owl, which clamped it in its beak, went to the door, and threw the owl out into the storm.**

Charlie's and Lisa's faces was one of pure shock.

******Then he came back and sat down as though this was as normal as talking on the telephone.**

"Well it is in the wizarding world." Rose said bumping Harry who nudged Snuffles.

"Isn't that the thing I contacted you on before 4th year. The one I …."

"Shouted down. Yep." Rose nodded before sharing a look with Hermione. _'Boys!' _she thought

_'Hey!' _Harry thought back.

******Harry realized his mouth was open and closed it quickly. Rose was still watching with wide eyes. 'The poor bird' she thought.**

"Poor bird indeed." Charlie muttered.

"******Where was I?" said Hagrid, but at that moment, Uncle Vernon, still ashen-faced but looking very angry, moved into the firelight.**

"Damn. I forgot about him again." Bill said.

"******They're not going," he said.**

"Yes. Yes they are." Ginny said rolling her eyes. She really didn't like this man.

******Hagrid grunted.**

"******I'd like ter see a great Muggle like you stop 'em," he said.**

"******A what?" said Harry, interested.**

"A non-magical person Harry." George said shaking his head.

"Your talking to a book Georgie." Rose pointed out and George blushed.

"******A Muggle," said Hagrid, "it's what we call non-magic folk like them. An' it's your bad luck you grew up in a family o' the biggest Muggles I ever laid eyes on."**

"Literally." Neville snorted

******'Literally.' Rose mentally added.**

"Aww. Neville thinks like Rose." Lee teasingly cooed. Neville blushed while Rose shrugged. Harry sent a small glare at the boy. Rose might be older but only by 13 minutes.

******We swore when we took them in we'd put a stop to that rubbish," said Uncle Vernon, "swore we'd stamp it out of them! Wizard and witch indeed!"**

"******You **_****__**knew**_******?" said Harry. "You **_****__**knew **_******I'm a — a wizard? And that Rose was a witch?"**

"Of course she knew." Mr. Weasley said

"******Knew!" shrieked Aunt Petunia suddenly. "**_****__**Knew**_******! Of course we knew! How could you two not be, my dratted sister being what she was?**

"Lily was not dratted." Remus growled. Snuffles barked into agreement. Making those who didn't know look at the dog confused. 'Could he understand us?' was the main thought.

******Oh, she got a letter just like that and disappeared off to that — that **_****__**school **_**— ********and came home every vacation with her pockets full of frog spawn, turning teacups into rats. **

"What?" the Weasley twins asked in shock.

"Muggle borns can do magic once after the end of year to prove to the parents that they are learning something." Lisa said.

"How do you know?" Fred asked

"I'm Muggle born." she said and much to Georges disbelieve Fred blushed.

******I was the only one who saw her for what she was — a freak!**

"Mum wasn't a freak." Harry and Rose said clenching fists and counting to ten.

******But for my mother and father, oh no, it was Lily this and Lily that, they were proud of having a witch in the family!"**

"As they should be." Mr. Weasley said.

******She stopped to draw a deep breath and then went ranting on. It seemed she had been wanting to say all this for years.**

"Probably has." McGonagall muttered to Flitwick who nodded.

"******Then she met that Potter at school and they left and got married and had you, and of course I knew you'd be just the same, just as strange, just as — as —**_****__**abnormal**_**— ********and then, if you please, she went and got herself blown up and we got landed with you!"**

"That's how you found out?" Percy asked with wide eyes. Rose smiled sadly at the man. She and Lisa had a theory about him but would have to wait till lunch to put their plan in action

******Harry had gone very white, and Rose's expression darkened.**

"They had lied to us all our lives. I was really, really angry."

******Rose was beyond furious, "Blown up? You told us they died in a car crash!" **

"Ooh! Was she using the scary whisper?" Fred asked.

"The scary whisper?" Tonks asked. Rose blushed as her friends, and quite a few other people, shivered.

"Do you remember summer? When Harry was shouting? Didn't you think it was strange that you couldn't hear Rose? Did you think she wasn't angry?" Hermione asked

"She whispers in an icy/angry voice." Fred said shivering

"It's worse then shouting." George added. Remus and Snuffles shivered remembering her when Remus had found them in the Shrieking Shack.

"******CAR CRASH!" roared Hagrid, jumping up so angrily that the Dursleys scuttled back to their corner.**

"******How could a car crash kill Lily an' James Potter? It's an outrage! A scandal! Harry an' R'se Potter not knowin' their own story when every kid in our world knows their names!"**

"Unfortunately." the twins muttered. It was really annoying. Especially in first year when they didn't know their way round the castle.

"******But why? What happened?" Harry asked urgently.**

******The anger faded from Hagrid's face. He looked suddenly anxious.**

"Who wants to tell a child how their parents died?" McGonagall sighed.

"******I never expected this," he said, in a low, worried voice. "I had no idea, when Dumbledore told me there might be trouble gettin' hold of yeh,**

Here Mandy, Lisa, Rose and Neville shared looks.

****** how much yeh didn't know.**

"It's all the Muggle's fault." Sprout sniffed.

******Ah, Harry, I don' know if I'm the right person ter tell yeh — but someone's gotta — yeh can't go off ter Hogwarts not knowin'."**

"Imagine how that would have worked." 5th year Slytherin called Theodore Nott said.

"Don't even go there Theo." Rose sighed, not even wanting to think about the mess that would have caused.

******He threw a dirty look at the Dursleys.**

"******Well, it's best yeh know as much as I can tell yeh — mind, I can't tell yeh everythin', it's a great myst'ry, parts of it…"**

******He sat down, stared into the fire for a few seconds, and then said, "It begins, I suppose, with — with a person called — but it's incredible yeh don't know his name, everyone in our world knows —"**

"A fake name." Rose whispered to her self, only Remus and Neville heard her.

"******Who?"**

"******Well — I don' like sayin' the name if I can help it. No one does."**

"Which is stupid." Harry sighed

"******Why not?"**

"******Gulpin' gargoyles, Harry, people are still scared. Blimey, this is difficult. See, there was this wizard who went… bad. As bad as you could go. Worse. Worse than worse. His name was…"**

"He's not gunna say it." Remus said shaking his head.

Rose and Harry shared a look and shook their heads.

******Hagrid gulped, but no words came out.**

"******Could you write it down?" Harry suggested.**

"******Nah — can't spell it. All right —**_****__**Voldemort**_******. "**

"He said it!" Remus said sitting up straight so fast he almost fell of the chair.

******Hagrid shuddered. "Don' make me say it again. Anyway, this — this wizard, about twenty years ago now, started lookin' fer followers. Got 'em, too — some were afraid, some just wanted a bit o' his power,**'******cause he was gettin' himself power, all right. Dark days, Harry. Didn't know who ter trust, didn't dare get friendly with strange wizards or witches… terrible things happened. He was takin' over. 'Course, some stood up to him — an' he killed 'em. Horribly. One o' the only safe places left was Hogwarts. Reckon Dumbledore's the only one You-Know-Who was afraid of. Didn't dare try takin' the school, not jus' then, anyway.**

The quartet shared a look for some reason when Hagrid said that they thought that it was going to actually happen.

_'Kind of like when Ron said we were going to fight a troll.'_ Rose thought looking into her brother in the eyes.

_'You don't think...?'_ Harry thought back. Rose only shrugged her shoulders.

"******Now, yer mum an' dad were as good a witch an' wizard as I ever knew. Head boy an' girl at Hogwarts in their day! Suppose the myst'ry is why You-Know-Who never tried to get 'em on his side before… probably knew they were too close ter Dumbledore ter want anythin' ter do with the Dark Side.**

"Damn straight." Mr. Weasley said.

"Arthur." Mrs. Weasley scolded.

"******Maybe he thought he could persuade 'em… maybe he just wanted 'em outta the way.**

Dumbledore sighed. He wanted them out the way all right.

******All anyone knows is, he turned up in the village where you was all living, on Halloween ten years ago. You two was just a year old. He came ter yer house an' — an' —"**

Harry's voice shook. The whole hall was silent. Everyone but Snape and Umbridge felt sympathy for the Potter twins. Neville wrapped his arm around Rose, while Hermione almost knocked Harry over when she tackle-hugged him. Luna got up and came and sat in-between the twins and took the book out of Harry's hands.

******Hagrid suddenly pulled out a very dirty, spotted handkerchief and blew his nose with a sound like a foghorn.**

"******Sorry," he said. "But it's that sad — knew yer mum an' dad, an' nicer people yeh couldn't find — anywa…**

"******You-Know-Who killed 'em. An' then — an' this is the real myst'ry of the thing — he tried to kill you, too. Wanted ter make a clean job of it, I suppose, or maybe he just liked killin' by then. **

The present Order members sighed. 'If only' they thought. The thought of them having to fight just wasn't right. Even if a certain member hated them.

******But he couldn't do it. Never wondered how you got that mark on yer forehead? That was no ordinary cut. That's what yeh get when a powerful, evil curse touches yeh — took care of yer mum an' dad an' yer house, even — but it didn't work on you, an' that's why yeh two famous. No one ever lived after he decided ter kill 'em, no one except you two,**

___And the Dark Lord shall mark them as his equal..._

******an' he'd killed some o' the best witches an' wizards of the age — the McKinnons,**

Neville looked down at his right hand, his left arm still around Rose while Snuffles started to cry. Much to the circles confusion. Except Remus, Rose and Neville. Rose leaned her chin on Neville's shoulder and whispered in his ear, "You have us now and we'll never leave you." before resting her head on his shoulder. Missing Neville's small sad smile and Tonks' knowing smirk. Remus, having heard her stared at her in shock. 'Where they still alive? No they could be!'

**the Bones,**

Susan Bones let out sob.

******the Prewetts**

The Weasleys looked solemn.

******an' you two was only a baby, an' you lived."**

"Because of our mother." Rose muttered, but due to the silence in the hall everyone heard.

******Something very painful was going on in Harry's mind. As Hagrid's story came to a close, he saw again the blinding flash of green light, more clearly than he had ever remembered it before — and he remembered something else, for the first time in his life: a high, cold, cruel laugh. Something else flashed in Rose's mind. A woman screaming, and dropping to the floor. A women who looked exactly like her. Screaming.**

The females in the room where openly crying at that. No matter how they felt about the twins. No one should have to hear their parents dying. Except Umbridge who just smirked

"******Took yeh from the ruined house myself, on Dumbledore's orders. Brought yeh ter this lot… ."**

"Worst thing Hagrid's ever done." was the general cry from the room. No one heard Umbridge mutter to her self,

"Best thing the filthy half-breeds ever done."

"******Load of old tosh," said Uncle Vernon. Harry jumped; he had almost forgotten that the Dursleys were there. Rose, teary, glared at the Dursleys through her watery eyes. Uncle Vernon certainly seemed to have got back his courage. He was glaring at Hagrid and his fists were clenched.**

"******Now, you listen here, " he snarled, "I accept there's something strange about you two, probably nothing a good beating wouldn't have cured**

"Did they ever-?" Remus started to ask but Harry just read over him.

******and as for all this about your parents, well, they were weirdoes, no denying it, and the world's better off without them in my opinion**

"Yea but no one did." Charlie said rolling his eyes. He was starting to really hate these Muggles.

******But at that moment, Hagrid leapt from the sofa and drew a battered pink umbrella from inside his coat. Pointing this at Uncle Vernon like a sword, he said, "I'm warning you, Dursley — I'm warning you — one more word…"**

"Please say Hagrid did something." the boys on the floor of the circle begged.

******In danger of being speared on the end of an umbrella by a bearded giant, Uncle Vernon's courage failed again; he flattened himself against the wall and fell silent.**

"******That's better," said Hagrid, breathing heavily and sitting back down on the sofa, which this time sagged right down to the floor.**

******Harry and Rose, meanwhile, still had questions to ask, hundreds of them.**

"******But what happened to Vol-, sorry — I mean, You-Know-Who?" asked Harry.**

"You didn't say his name." Ron gasped in shock. The twins shrugged.

"Hagrid didn't seem to like it." was all Harry said before reading again.

"******Good question, Harry. Disappeared. Vanished. Same night he tried ter kill you. Makes yeh even more famous. That's the biggest myst'ry, see… he was gettin' more an' more powerful — why'd he go?**

"He died!" Umbridge shrieked, standing up.

"No he didn't you old hag no sit down, shut up and listen to Harry read." a voice from the door called. The school turned round to see a girl with bleach blonde hair, her side fringe baby blue. She was wearing denim shorts and a tight white vest top that had a zip up the middle. On top of that she had a blue shirt, that obviously use to belong to a man, unbuttoned and the sleeves rolled up. On her left hand was clearly visible a square black gold and pink sapphire engagement ring. What was visible of her stomach and her legs were scattered with small scars and one large one covering her right calf.

"Who are you?" Umbridge sneered at her. 'Probably a filthy Muggle friend of the Potter brats'

"Phoebe Nixt," the girl started, taking joy at watching Umbridge's and Fudge's faces pale. "Daughter to George Nixt. I believe you heard of him Minister. If you haven't I'll sum it up. He was a famous wizard. Who's wife died saving your life minister. I'm the fiancé of Charlie Weasley. I'm the second in command on the Romanian Dragon Reservation Capture Team, R.C.T for short, and team healer. But please, call me Phoenix." Phoenix said giving a small smile and wave at the end.

The Minister and Umbridge sat in shock as the girl, for lack of better word, danced down to the Circle and plopped down into Charlie's lap, swinging her grey canvas trainercovered feet into Bill's lap, leaning down to kiss him.

"Nicely down babe." he said pulling her side against his chest.

"Wow. I've never seen them so speechless." Mr. Weasley commented. The girls in the circle started giggling. Harry shook his head at the female dragon tamer and took the book off Luna and continued reading.

"******Some say he died. Codswallop, in my opinion. Dunno if he had enough human left in him to die.**

"Nope." Rose said, Umbridge was in to much shock to say anything about her 'Lies'.

******Some say he's still out there, bidin' his time,********like, but I don' believe it. People who was on his side came back ter ours.**

Rose shivered remembering how Voldemort had been when 6 of the Death Eaters had not retuned.

******Some of 'em came outta kinda trances. Don' reckon they could've done if he was comin' back.**

"Yes, yes, please do explain." Umbridge shrieked, standing up. Phoenix opened her mouth to say something but Rose held up her hand. Rose, Lisa, Mandy and Hannah Abbott stood up and walked to the front. Lisa had her bag thrown over her shoulder.

"We were thinking about that. So the 'Bleakest Rumos' have-" Hannah started only to be cut off.

"Who?" Umbridge sneered.

"'Bleakest Rumor' its an anagram. Figure it out." Mandy sneered back. Rose rolled her eyes before going back on topic, not noticing the teachers pull out quills and parchment, trying to figure out the anagram.

"Neville mentioned that so we did some research and we found this." Rose started as Lisa pulled a book out of her bag

"'The Imperius Curse can only be broken in 4 ways. One is when the caster lifts the curse. Second is when the Witch or Wizard that the curse is cast upon is strong enough to throw the curse off.'" here Harry blushed at the stares he received from the Gryffindors. "'The third is when the caster is killed. The fourth and final way is when the caster magical exhaustion and all long-lasting spells he has cast break off.'" Lisa read.

"Hmm. Now, if Voldemort," she ignored the flinches from around the hall "Lost his body that night, that would lead to magical exhaustion. Wouldn't it Rose?" Hannah said turning to the red-headed girl.

"One would think so." Rose said shrugging, leading the girls back to the Circle. Hannah sat down inbetween Luna, who went back to her original seat, and Lisa. The whole hall except Neville, Theo, Luna and Terry Boot stared at the girls in shock.

"Wow girly. That was better then my go at them." Phoenix said snapping out of her shock, standing up and stepped around Neville and Rose to sit inbetween Harry and Rose, much to Charlie disappointment. Harry shook his head and laughed a little. He knew Phoenix as the girls tutor would lead to disaster. You would never guess Mandy use to be sweet little mummy's girl the way she acts now. Not that it was a bad thing.

"******Most of us reckon he's still out there somewhere but lost his powers.**

"Hmm. Sound familiar?" Terry asked as he made his way to the Circle and stood inbetween Victor and Fred, "Budge up." he said, they moved in opposite directions to make space for the boy.

******Too weak to carry on. 'Cause somethin' about you finished him, Harry. There was somethin' goin' on that night he hadn't counted on — **_****__**I **_******dunno what it was, no one does — but somethin' about you stumped him, all right."**

"No. Our mother did." Rose muttered looking down at her shoes. Just realising that the had put her dance shoes on instead of her school shoes. Which was an easy mistake considering that they were both black trainers. Padma Patil had got them for her when she had been forced to participate in the Triwizard Tournament, saying that the light weight shoes would make it easier for her to move speedily.

******Hagrid looked at Harry and Rose with warmth and respect blazing in his eyes, but the twins, instead of feeling pleased and proud, felt quite sure there had been a horrible mistake.**

The teenagers in the circle, not including Harry and Rose, moaned. 'Damn Dursleys gave them self-esteem issues'.

******A wizard and witch? Them? How could they possibly be? They'd spent their lives being clouted by Dudley, and bullied by Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon; if they was really magical, why hadn't they been turned into warty toads every time they'd tried to lock them in their cupboard? If they'd once defeated the greatest sorcerer in the world, how come Dudley had always been able to kick them around like a football? Harry thought.**

"Doesn't work like that Harry."Remus chuckled Harry pouted.

"******Hagrid," Rose said quietly, "I think you must have made a mistake. I don't think I can be a witch."**

"That's because your a Newt." Fred sighed in mock exhaustion.

******To their surprise, Hagrid chuckled.**

"******Not a witch, eh? Never made things happen when you was scared or angry?"**

"Snakey!" Fred and George shouted making everyone in the hall stare at them.

******Harry looked into the fire. Now he came to think about it… every odd thing that had ever made his aunt and uncle furious with him had happened when he, Harry, had been upset or angry… Rose thought of the time she was chased by Dudley's gang, she had somehow found herself out of their reach… Harry, dreading going to school with that ridiculous haircut, he'd managed to make it grow back… and the very last time Dudley had hit him, hadn't he and Rose got their revenge, without even realizing they were doing it? Hadn't they set a boa constrictor on him?**

"Snakey!" the twins shouted again. Most of the hall shared looks of realization. The rest shared looks of exasperation.

******Harry and Rose looked back at Hagrid, smiling, and saw that Hagrid was positively beaming at them.**

"******See?" said Hagrid. "Harry an' R'se Potter, not a wizard or witch — you wait, you'll be right famous at Hogwarts."**

"Unfortunately." the Potter twins said looking at each other.

******But Uncle Vernon wasn't going to give in without a fight.**

"******Haven't I told you they're not going?" he hissed. "They're going to Stonewall High and they'll be grateful for it. I've read those letters and they need all sorts of rubbish — spell books and wands and —"**

"******If they want ter go, a great Muggle like you won't stop 'em," growled Hagrid. "Stop Lily an' James Potter's son an' daughter from goin' ter Hogwarts! Yer mad. Their names' been down ever since they were born. **

"So has most people in this hall." Rose pointed

******They're off ter the finest school of witchcraft and wizardry in the world. Seven years there and they won't know themselves. They'll be with youngsters of their own sort, fer a change, an' they'll be under the greatest headmaster Hogwarts ever had Albus Dumbled—"**

"Why did you stop?" Ron asked as Harry said half the word Harry raised his eyebrow before reading the next line.

"******I AM NOT PAYING FOR SOME CRACKPOT OLD FOOL TO TEACH HIM MAGIC TRICKS!" yelled Uncle Vernon.**

Ron blushed realising why it was only half of Dumbledore's names.

"Uh oh." The men of the circle muttered under their breath. Realising what was going to happen.

******But he had finally gone too far. Hagrid seized his umbrella and whirled it over his head, "NEVER —" he thundered, "— INSULT — ALBUS — DUMBLEDORE — IN — FRONT — OF — ME!"**

"Whoop!" Phoenix said punching the air repeatedly, "Show them Hagrid." she said even though he wasn't there. The girls of the circle giggled. It was when she acted like that, that they realised she was perfect for Charlie.

******He brought the umbrella swishing down through the air to point at Dudley — there was a flash of violet light, a sound like a firecracker, a sharp squeal, and the next second, Dudley was dancing on the spot with his hands clasped over his fat bottom, howling in pain.**

"Vat ded he do?" Victor ask only for the Potter twins to tap their nose's.

******When he turned his back on them, Harry and Rose saw a curly pig's tail poking through a hole in his trousers.**

There was silence for about 30 seconds before Ginny started giggling, setting the whole hall off. It took a full 10 minutes before the hall carmed down enough for Harry start reading again.

******Uncle Vernon roared. Pulling Aunt Petunia and Dudley into the other room, he cast one last terrified look at Hagrid and slammed the door behind them.**

"Good riddance." Fleur muttered under her breath.

******Hagrid looked down at his umbrella and stroked his beard.**

An action the Weasley twins pretended to copy.

"******Shouldn'ta lost me temper," he said ruefully, "but it didn't work anyway. Meant ter turn him into a pig, but I suppose he was so much like a pig anyway there wasn't much left ter do."**

This set the hall of again, only louder and for longer. By the end of it Rose was lying across Neville's lap, Phoenix was leaning over her legs, her forehead resting on Neville's shoulder. Harry was leaning on Snuffles, Hermione and Ron were leaning on each other. Mandy and Victor were in much the same position. Infact every one else was leaning on their neighbours or rolling on the floor

******He cast a sideways look at a grinning Harry and a laughing Rose under his bushy eyebrows.**

"******Be grateful if yeh didn't mention that ter anyone at Hogwarts," he said. "I'm — er — not supposed ter do magic, strictly speakin'. I was allowed ter do a bit ter follow yeh an' get yer letters to yeh an' stuff — one o' the reasons I was so keen ter take on the job."**

"******Why aren't you supposed to do magic?" asked Harry.**

"******Oh, well — I was at Hogwarts meself but I — er — got expelled, ter tell yeh the truth. In me third year. They snapped me wand in half an' everything. But Dumbledore let me stay on as gamekeeper. Great man, Dumbledore."**

"Defiantly." the people in the circle said... Except Rose, Neville, Hannah, Luna, Lisa, Terry and Mandy. Not that people noticed. Except Phoenix and Victor. They stored it away for later use.

"******Why were you expelled?" asked Harry.**

"He won't tell anyone." Lee sighed as Mrs. Weasley shrieked something about manners.

**Rose elbowed him in the side**

"So like Rose." Hannah said smirking at Terry who absent mindedly rubbed his side.

"You have a sharp elbow you know." Terry said. Harry, Ron and Victor nodded along. Rose just stuck her tongue out.

**"****It's alright Hagrid. You don't have to answer that." she said giving a brother, she hoped, said 'watch-it'**

"Well it did. It also brought a promise of pain if I said another word that night." Harry shivered. His sister had scary eyes.

"******It's gettin' late and we've got lots ter do tomorrow," said Hagrid loudly. "Gotta get up ter town, get all yer books an' that."**

******He took off his thick black coat and threw it to the twins.**

"******You can kip under that," he said. "Don' mind if it wriggles a bit, I think I still got a couple o' dormice in one o' the pockets.**

"Thank god. Who knows how ill you could have been with just that blanket." Madam Pomfrey said.

"Chapter done. Lunch I think." Dumbledore said. Rose and Lisa shared looks at that.

"Aha! I've got it!" Flitwick said standing up on his chair, holding a piece of parchment. The members of Bleakest Rumor just laughed.

* * *

I have to mention that I know that the Phelps twins are born 13 minutes apart but I didn't when I wrote that part of this chapter.

I might have rushed this a little bit. I even mentioned to my friend that if I had to swim to my home town to post this I would. (We moved a LONG time ago.)


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